A New Home
by xXHeart of GoldXx
Summary: Ellie, Dorothy's outcast child, never had it easy in South Carolina. Once her mother passes away, she desperately wants to get away from this world. She wants to live with Glinda and live a happy life. However, finding Glinda isn't as easy as it seems.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>A young girl with light brown hair, probably only the age of nine or ten, was rummaging through her mother's things, searching for a pair of ruby slippers her mother had described in her stories about a wonderful land of Oz where witches lives, and little people existed in great numbers. She didn't believe her mother when she said these were merely stories, nothing more, and that they had never happened. However, the ten year old felt that the emotion in her mother's voice was so real that these mysterious slippers had to exist.<p>

The girl's name was Elena, but was usually called Ellie for short. She was an adventurous, but a very sad girl and desperately wanted to visit this wonderful land her mother had taught her about. And most importantly, she wanted to meet the good witch, Glinda, whom her mother, Dorothy, spoke highly of.

Ellie sighed when she thought she had come across the last box. The whole reason why she wanted to go to Oz too was because Dorothy had passed away due to a terrible case of the flu. Dorothy had just died the night before, so she knew people would be coming to take her away to go live with another family. Her father wasn't around, and quite frankly, she never cared for him when he was.

Ellie didn't want to live with another family, she just couldn't. Dorothy had been the only person in her life that she deeply cared about, and now she was gone. Poor Ellie never grew up knowing any relatives due to the fact Dorothy moved to South Carolina when she found out she was pregnant with her so called boyfriend's child, following him to try and track him down but to no avail. Kids at school weren't very nice to her, either, calling her a bastard child; even a sinner. This caused the poor girl to become antisocial with kids her age, older, and younger. She was called the Devil's Child by other parents simply because she was born out of wedlock. And to make things worse for herself, she was of a mixed race. Her father was supposedly African American. Interracial children (especially in the South, she learned) was one of the worst things to be. And the fact that her mother was only fourteen years older than her only made things worse.

Things couldn't have been easy for Dorothy, either, but Ellie doubted that it was as bad as she had been treated. Kids were crueler.

A box in the far corner caught her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. She reached for it and opened it quickly, revealing the ruby slippers. She gasped and was so happy that her mother's stories might be true. She quickly put them on her feet. They were a few sizes too big at first, but somehow they shrunk to fit her feet perfectly.

Ellie heard the door open and heard a police officer's voice saying things that were muffled by the closed door. She knew that they'd come into this room soon, since it was Dorothy's and all, plus, Dorothy laid dead in her bed. Ellie walked over to her mother and stared into her eyes; she didn't bother to close them, she didn't want to. She kissed Dorothy's cold cheek. "I'm gonna go to Oz, mama, just like you did," she whispered and stroked her hand with her small thumb. "I'm gonna go live there, mama, I'm going to go find Glinda and I'm gonna go live with her and she will be my new mama, but she won't ever replace you. I can't stay here. I hope you'll be very proud of me, mama. I'll grow up in Oz and have a lot of friends."

With that said, she tried to remember how Dorothy had gotten home. She closed her eyes. _There's no place like home. _She opened her eyes and clicked her heels together, already knowing they were magical. "There's no place like Oz," she tried. However, nothing happened. She was running out of time. She closed her eyes and clicked the heels again. "There's no place like home," she tried, thinking that if Oz would be her new home, it would work.

Ellie didn't feel a thing. She didn't feel herself floating or spinning out of control. She sighed, thinking that maybe only a tornado would bring her to a wonderful new land. Or maybe her mother was right; maybe they were just some stupid, yet breathtaking stories her mother had created. Ellie opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw.

She saw that she was standing on the infamous Yellow Brick Road her mother had been talking about! She looked around and saw the trees that created forests and those automobiles she rarely got to see in South Carolina.

Ellie didn't see a town, little people, or a giant bubble coming towards her containing Glinda as Dorothy described. However, the Yellow Brick Road was all she needed to find the Wizard of Oz so that he could bring her to Glinda, just like he had given Scarecrow a brain, the Tin Man a heart, and the Cowardly Lion Courage. With that thought and wanting to start her new life, she started running down the Yellow Brick Road.

Little did she know, she wasn't traveling in the right direction. Instead, she was traveling west towards a very large, black castle that certainly did not contain the Wizard or Glinda.

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><p>Hope you liked the prologue :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>Ellie stopped running to catch her breath. She was getting hungry and realized she hadn't been eating too much since her mother had gotten sick. Her stomach grumbled and she needed to find a place to sit down and eat. However, without any money, she doubted she could get anything. Ellie stopped and decided to find something that could possibly be edible. She had entered a small town. It wasn't anything special, really. There weren't any Munchkins, so she doubted she had landed in Munchkin Land like her mother had. These people were at normal heights.<p>

As she walked more into the town, she noticed that there were animals walking upright, as if they were human, and they were speaking amongst each other as well as other people. Ellie was confused at this, but then remembered the Cowardly Lion from her mother's story, so she became more comfortable with the idea that animals could indeed talk in this land. "Hi," a tiger cub said and approached Ellie. "Are you okay? You look confused."

"I'm okay," Ellie replied and smiled at the little orange and black cub. "I'm just kind of new here."

"I figured," he said to her. "My name's Brac. What's yours?" he asked her.

"My name's Ellie," she introduced herself and shook his paw. "I'm actually looking for Glinda. Maybe you can help me?" Brac just laughed at her and she tilted her head in confusion. He stopped laughing abruptly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Glinda the Good is actually in Emerald City, which is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction that she had been traveling in on the Yellow Brick Road.

"I've been going the wrong way," Ellie confessed. She rarely spoke this much to someone her age, let alone a tiger cub.

"How long have you been traveling?" he asked her.

"Maybe about a couple of hours," she replied. "Not too long."

"Well then, I guess that's okay. But Emerald City from this town here is like two weeks away if you travel by horse and buggie."

"What about the automobiles I saw?" Ellie asked. "How long would it take if I took one of those?" Brac laughed again, and then stopped politely. He wasn't really laughing at her, but more so of the poor girl's cluelessness of Oz. She began to wonder if her mother had been in the same situation and just didn't tell her. But she highly doubted it. Dorothy was much better at fitting in. Ellie never had, and she probably never would until she lived with Glinda.

"Only the super rich have them. Most people don't have them."

"But why not?" Ellie asked.

"Things work this way, I guess. I don't really know," he shrugged. Ellie nodded in understanding.

"I guess I have a long journey ahead of me then," she sighed.

"And even if you get there, I don't think you'll be able to see her anyway. It's pretty hard to get in the palace let alone talk to her yourself. But I guess you can try. It costs a lot of money, though, because you have to switch carriages and stuff."

"I don't have any money," she sighed.

"Why don't you ask your parents for some?" Brac reasoned.

"My mama just died. I don't really have anyone anymore. That's why I need Glinda's help. My mama knew her," she replied. She kept out the fact that her mother had just told her stories and she believed them, which led her to this strange land. If she said that, people would think Dorothy was insane or something, like everyone else she told.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Brac sympathized. "I lost my mom, too. But I still have my dad. It's tough, though. Maybe you can get to Glinda the Good, though, because you have connections."

"You really think so?"

"Maybe. Listen, Ellie was it? I don't have a lot of money, but you can have the rest of my allowance to get yourself something to eat." The tiger cub reached down into his pocket and took out a few bills. He handed them to her.

"Thank you, but I really couldn't." Ellie tried to hand him back the money.

"I insist," Brac said. "Take it. You need it more than I do."

"Thanks so much, Brac. You know, you're the only one nice enough to talk to me. Where I came from, nobody wanted anything to do with me." Ellie was beginning to open up to a complete stranger. When she realized this, she stopped herself, not allowing herself to tell him everything. But he was so nice to her and they had never met before! But once he knew the truth, she reasoned, he wouldn't like her anymore. "Anyway, thank you."

"It's really no problem. But since you don't have anywhere to stay for the night and that money won't cover it, I know a place where you can stay for free," Brac offered.

"Really? Where is it?" Ellie asked anxiously. She could see the sun beginning to set and she didn't really want to travel in the dark to wherever it was she could go.

"It's an old castle. If you keep going west, er, the way you were going, you'll come to the end of the Yellow Brick Road. It'll lead you into a forest. There are some old signs there that say keep out or something like that. Just ignore them. Nobody lives there anymore," Brac explained.

"That sounds kind of creepy. Have you ever been there?" she asked him.

"Honestly, I haven't, but I've walked up to it before. Really, no one lives there. A few friends of mine spent the night and they were perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked him.

"Positive," he smiled at her. "Besides, it beats sleeping out on the streets, right? It's just a little dust inside because no one lives there or even cleans it. By the way, you've got some nice shoes there."

"Thanks," Ellie replied. "They were my mama's when she was younger." She said goodbye to her new friend and went off into the town in search of some cheap food she could buy to fill her hunger pains. Brac's money didn't go very far; she could only afford an apple and a bottle of water. Ellie ate the apple quickly as she followed the Yellow Brick Road yet again.

The sun was setting quickly and Ellie couldn't even see the forest Brac had described to her. Being ten years old and on her own was somewhat frightening, but it was also quite fun. She decided once she got to the castle, she'd go back into town and ask for some help, maybe even get a job if they'd hire her to save up for her trip to Emerald City.

Ellie began to fantasize about the city that her mother had described. She could picture it in her mind; all of the green sky scrapers and buildings, and even the horse that changed colors every so often. She wondered if the horse could stay one color at a time because she liked the color green. It was her favorite color out of all of them and Emerald City would be like a dream for her.

It began to get dark, and the sun had almost set once she reached the forest with the do not enter signs and all of the warnings to turn back. However, she didn't listen to them because she knew they were empty threats, according to Brac.

As she followed the signs, one of them caught her eyes. She stopped to fully read it and pushed away the leaves blocking it. It read _Warning: Castle of the Wicked Witch of the West_. Ellie felt a shiver go down her spine. She remembered how her mother had described her. _She had ugly green skin. Her hair was black and she always wore a black hat with the point on it. Her eyes were cold and she would kill if she had to. Even to get the ruby slippers._ Ellie looked down at her feet and shuffled them in the darkness. But then she remembered that she had absolutely nothing to fear. Her mother had melted the witch by accident, killing her.

Ellie continued down the trail in complete darkness. She relied on her other instincts to get to the castle. She didn't get scared too often because she knew what it was like to feel pain. There was nothing for her to be afraid of.

Finally, Ellie made it to the castle. She was hungry again, and she was thirsty. But she couldn't dwell on that because she had to get inside the castle because it had begun to rain hard. Ellie hated the rain to the point where it made her angry. She pushed on the door and forced it open with a loud creek. The door closed by itself and it made her jump a bit, but she regained her composure.

Ellie was more tired than hungry, so she decided to find a suitable place to sleep. She found the spiral staircase and walked up it to where the bedrooms probably were. For some reason, the castle wasn't dusty at all and it looked well kept despite the supposed rumors Brac had heard. Either Brac had been lied to, or he lied to her. Ellie rolled her eyes; it wouldn't have been the first time she had been lied to. It didn't look like any kids, or animals for that matter, had even been in here. Surely if kids had been there, things would have been moved or broken. But everything seemed perfect.

Ellie ignored those thoughts and looked in various rooms for a bed to sleep in. The first one she found was merely a cot and looked dreadfully uncomfortable. The others she found either had no blankets or didn't look suitable to sleep in. And Ellie had pretty low standards.

When she was about to give up and go back to one of the rooms with a cot, Ellie found what looked to be a master bedroom. The comforter was soft, and the mattress seemed to be in great condition. The bed was large and she decided that this was the bed she'd sleep in. She got under the covers and sheets and rested her head on the pillow. Before she knew it, Ellie drifted off to sleep in the bed that seemed to be too perfect for being abandoned.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>Ellie woke up with a start when she heard someone open up the bedroom door she had closed. Her heart began to race as she peered over the comforter when she saw someone was there. Hadn't this place been abandoned long ago? Apparently not, unless this person dressed in all black with a pointy witch's hat was a teenager playing a practical joke on her. This wouldn't be new to her; she was used to it. Ellie accidently let out a quiet gasp, but it was loud enough for the person to turn around and face her. She could tell she startled the person, but she didn't stick around to see who it was. Instead, she did what any ten year old would do in a situation like this. Ellie hid under the covers and didn't move a muscle. "I know you're there, my pretty," the woman snapped at her. Ellie held her breath, hoping that she'd just go away. "You aren't hard to see. Get out from under there now!" Ellie did as she was told, slowly peering from the blankets.<p>

She looked up at the woman standing over her. She had long, black hair, brown eyes just like her own, and the oddest thing about her was her green skin. Ellie had seen many different skin types in her life, but she had never, ever seen anybody with green skin before. "What are you doing here? How did you even get in?" Ellie didn't answer and kept her mouth shut. This woman seemed to fit her mother's description of the Wicked Witch of the West. But she was dead, wasn't she? "Answer me!"

"I'm h-here because I needed a place to stay. Someone told m-me that nobody lived h-here, so I-I could stay here because I didn't have a-any m-money," Ellie stuttered. She admitted to herself that she was scared. After all, this woman could have killed her mother when she was in Oz. Ellie decided that this had to be the Wicked Witch of the West even if her mother said she was dead. Dorothy was slightly insane anyway, according to the doctors.

"I don't care why you're here," the witch spat and slammed her broom on the floor violently. "I want to know how you got in here! This place has so many spells on it, it's impossible to get in!" she barked at the ten year old, scaring her to bits. Ellie never cried, but she could feel them coming. But she had to hold them back. She wouldn't let anyone, not even a witch get joy in seeing her cry.

"I used the front door," Ellie said, trying to keep her voice even.

"You are a confusing little brat, you know that? And get out of my bed before I hurt you my pretty!" she snapped at the poor girl. Ellie nodded and let the tears finally break free. She hated crying, but it wasn't every day a witch yelled at her, especially one as scary as the Wicked Witch of the West. She crawled out of the king sized bed and stood on the other side so that the bed would function as some kind of barrier. She ignored her hunger pains that were trying to consume her thoughts.

"I d-didn't mean…" she trailed.

"Don't tell me you have an annoying stuttering problem," the witch snapped at her yet again.

"Not usually," Ellie cried. "Please don't hurt me! I didn't know you were still alive," Ellie sobbed and fiddled with her dress.

"That's because nobody knows that I am-and stop crying already!"

"I-I'm sorry," Ellie cried. "I was tired and-it's been a long day for me."

"Come here," the witch said. "Stand right here and tell me why your day was so hard. Come on, get a move on," she said impatiently. "My pretty, I won't hurt you, now. I have no reason to hurt you. I just want you to explain yourself." Ellie obeyed and came around the other side. She clutched the gold heart shaped locket that hung loosely around her neck. "Those shoes," the witch whispered. "The last person who had those shoes…"

"These are my mama's shoes she g-got from Oz," Ellie explained. "I used them to get here."

"Dorothy Gale…she's your mother?" the witch asked her. Ellie nodded.

"She was. She died last night," Ellie looked at the ground, unable to meet the woman's eyes. "I didn't want them to take me away, so I found the shoes she told me about and used their magic to get here. I don't want to cause any trouble, I just didn't want to live there anymore. It never really felt like home to me." She looked back up at the witch and she gave the girl a look of sympathy.

"I apologize," she said. "I didn't know."

"It should be me who's apologizing, ma'am. I invaded your home because of some silly rumors. But can I stay the night? I don't know my way around Oz that well and I'm tired and hungry." She didn't mean to mention she was hungry. She meant to leave that out. All Ellie did was cause some kind of trouble with her presence, and she began to think she should have stayed in South Carolina after all.

"Okay, you can stay the night. But that's it. In the morning I'll see you off, you hear me?"

"Thank you, ma'am," Ellie gave her a small smile.

"I couldn't help but hear that you mentioned you're hungry. Would you like something to eat?" Ellie didn't know whether or not to trust her considering what the stories her mother told, but she found herself nodding anyway and following the green woman down the staircase and into the large kitchen. The lights were turned on and Ellie took a seat at the counter. The witch made her a sandwich and poured her a glass of milk. She placed it in front of her.

"Thank you," Ellie said.

"You're welcome," the witch mumbled. She took her hat off and placed it on the counter, waiting for the slow eater to finish her food. Ellie studied the woman's features and didn't seem to get the same impression of her she did when Dorothy told her the stories. She stared at her for a moment, forgetting about her food. "What?" She was caught.

"Nothing, it's just that when mama told me stories about her trip to Oz, she mentioned that you were green and ugly and said your eyes were cold."

"Thanks," the woman rolled her eyes.

"But I don't see that," Ellie spoke quickly. "It's true that you're green, but I think you're pretty," Ellie voiced her opinion. "And I don't think your eyes are cold, whatever that means. If I had to say your eyes were a temperature, I'd say they were warm." Her child innocence must have gotten through to the witch because her face softened a bit.

"What's your name?" the witch asked her.

"Elena Gale," she replied before taking a bite. "But you can call me Ellie like everybody else."

"Okay then, Ellie, who are you looking for? Surely you came here with intentions, not just to run away, so to speak."

"I'm really here to go to Emerald City. Mama told me about Glinda and I want to go live with her."

"Why would you want to go live with her?"

"Because she sounds so perfect. And maybe her perfectness will rub off on me. All I really am is an outcast. Back at home in South Carolina, I was called horrible names. Someone's mom told me I was the Devil's child." She couldn't even make eye contact. But for some reason, she felt comfortable around the Wicked Witch of the West, which was odd considering how her mother said she was terrible. "I'm like you," Ellie whispered. "I'm misunderstood. I always thought you were when my mama told me about you."

"Come on, let's get you to bed," the witch said and took her hand in her own.

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><p>Two chapters in one day? I'm just a really fast typer!<p> 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>Ellie woke up the next morning in one of the very uncomfortable cots. She had a hard time sleeping and woke up quite frequently due to her back aching and thunderstorms. She got up out of bed and stretched, wondering how people slept in these old things that looked to be right out of the eighteen hundreds. Ellie wandered around the second floor to try and find the bathroom, and luckily, she did. She used the toilet and took a bath, and was surprised this place had running water.<p>

After cleaning herself and toweling off, she went back to the room she had been given to stay in and began to get dressed, pulling her blue dress over her head and putting on the ruby slippers. Ellie looked down at them and felt somewhat guilty. These shoes had belonged to the witch's deceased sister, they never really belonged to her mother.

Thinking about the dead reminded her of what Dorothy had looked like when she died. Her mouth had been slightly parted, as if she was trying to breathe. Her eyes had become distant and her skin had paled and cooled very quickly, probably due to the fact her heart stopped pumping blood through her. Ellie shook the image out of her head. It was odd that her mother's death wasn't affecting her as much as it should. Sure, she cried the night she passed away, but other than that, she didn't shed a tear.

It's not that she wasn't upset that Dorothy died; okay, maybe it was. She thought losing her mother would have been worse than what she was feeling now. It was odd because she knew her mother was dead, she witnessed it herself. However, it didn't feel as if she was really gone, when she really was. Ellie didn't like this feeling because she knew it would only come to haunt her in the future and she'd bawl her eyes out. "Come get breakfast before you leave," the witch said as she peered her head in the door. Ellie nodded and followed her out.

"What's for breakfast?" Ellie asked her when she sat down at the counter.

"Whatever you can find," the witch shrugged. Ellie got up from her seat and looked around. She couldn't really cook, so she settled for something she usually ate since her mother got sick. She chose an apple. The witch seemed to have gotten her own apple and was eating it as she read a book. Ellie didn't think it would be a good idea to have regular conversations with her, or speak to her. Since Glinda was good, she probably didn't like her too much.

Ellie looked out the window and saw it was raining quite heavily when she went to leave through the castle doors. She looked at the ruby slippers and hoped they wouldn't get ruined on her long journey walking to the Emerald City. She had no money, so she knew she was going to have to walk all the way there. She assumed it would take four weeks instead of two simply because she was going to walk, and she was only ten. She wasn't great at thinking how long it would take to get there.

But the thing was, it was raining. She hated the rain. She hesitated before putting one foot out the door before she saw the witch standing there, making sure the brown haired girl left. "What are you waiting for?" the witch snapped at her. "You better start walking now or you'll never get to the Emerald City." Ellie could only nod.

She looked up at the witch glaring at her, making her feel smaller than she really was. "Well?" Ellie sat down on the floor, much to the witch's dislike. "I have no time for this," she snapped. Ellie took the ruby slippers off, stood up, and handed them to the witch.

"These are really yours," Ellie whispered. The witch's face softened a bit, but hardened once she made eye contact with the girl.

"Get out," she yelled. "I said get out and never come back!"

"How come you're being so mean?" Ellie whispered, but was loud enough for the witch to hear. She didn't mean for her to, but luck was never on Ellie's side.

"You're mother made my life miserable. How am I supposed to know if you'll dump water all over me, too? Or actually kill me?"

"Because I gave you what's rightfully yours." Ellie tried. She wished that the witch was somewhat nice to her, unlike everyone else. She was beginning to wish she never listened to that stupid tiger cub, Brac, and just went towards Emerald City and just walked through the night.

"I think it's time you left," the witch said, sending Ellie out into the pouring rain without any shoes. The castle doors shut in her face, and she stood out in the rain. Keeping her tears at bay, she marched through the thick mud in the forest in bare feet. She was smart enough to take her socks off so that her feet wouldn't get some weird fungus.

Ellie was grateful when the mud ended and the Yellow Brick Road began. She sat down on it to check out her feet, which were all scuffed up and caked with mud. She let the rain wash them off before she got up to continue down the Yellow Brick Road. "Mama was right, she is wicked," Ellie mumbled to herself. "I thought that she was nice at first, and maybe she wasn't wicked. Oh, why couldn't have I found Glinda first?" she cried, finally letting the tears spill over her eyes. It was sinking in that Dorothy was dead and she'd never see her again. She wouldn't even be able to attend her own mother's funeral! Who was going to go to it now? Ellie was beginning to wish she kept the ruby slippers. The wicked witch did not deserve them.

Finally, she just broke down right in the middle of the Yellow Brick Road in the rain. Ellie cried her heart out, wishing for Dorothy to come and save her, although she knew it was impossible. Dorothy, her mother, was dead, and even if she was alive, she never comforted her daughter anyway. All she did was tell her stories of Oz and how great it was. Ellie began to think the doctors were right; Dorothy had gone insane. Oz seemed to be a terrible place. But so was South Carolina, where she had come from. She just didn't fit in there. She'd rather be an outcast in an unknown land where no one knew of her.

Ellie got up and tried to keep walking. The more she walked during the day, the closer she'd get to her new life. Eventually, she got to that little town she had stopped in where she met Brac. Nobody was in sight, except for the occasional person running through the rain for shelter. Ellie found a little market place and took a deep breath before she shoved a couple of apples into her pockets. "Stealing isn't vey becoming of a young girl." Ellie jumped up at the voice and turned around. She looked up and saw the witch staring vacantly ahead of her, not meeting her eyes. She held an umbrella in her hand and made a gesture with the other, wanting Ellie to follow her.

"I will not come with someone as wicked as you," Ellie cried out.

"Shush, you want me to get caught?" the witch said, yanking the girl to the side of the Yellow Brick Road. "The fact that you can even recognize me without the shoes is remarkable. Perhaps it is because you are from another world." She wasn't really even speaking to Ellie, but more so to herself.

"I thought you wanted me gone," Ellie said. "So, I left. And then you follow me?"

"Come with me," the witch said, not even giving Ellie a choice. She yanked on the girl's sleeve and forced her into some bar or coffee house, Ellie didn't know. They sat in the farthest booth, away from practically everyone. Ellie felt trapped in the large red seat she sat in across from the witch. "Here, dry your feet off with these." She handed her some napkins, and Ellie listened, wiping the water from her feet, and a small amount of blood. She put her socks on them and realized just how cold they were. She was surprised when the witch grabbed them and started warming them up with her own hands, but at the same time, she had this scowl on her face. "Put these on." She shoved the ruby slippers towards Ellie. She didn't put them on quite yet. She let them stay on the table and she stared at them.

"So now you're being nice to me?" she said in a hushed voice, although, nice wasn't really the best word to describe her.

"You were pitiful walking away in the mud with bare feet. It was embarrassing," the witch reasoned.

"Why are you being so wicked?"

"I guess my name suits me then," the witch said.

"Mama was right. You are a mean, nasty old thing," Ellie spat.

"Watch your tongue."

"No!" Ellie yelled, but then kept her voice down so that she didn't bring attention to herself. "I'm tired of people treating me bad. I just want people to be nice to me. I just want to be a kid. I don't want to have to worry about the kids picking on me, or the adults," she rambled. "If I have to be mean to get respect, then I guess I will have to. I'm in a new land, so I can be anyone I want. I can be exactly what they want me to be."

"You sure like to ramble, my pretty," the witch rolled her eyes.

"Do I? Or maybe I just described you," Ellie whispered.

"Come again?"

"You heard me. You were like me. And you became someone everyone wanted you to be. I don't want that to happen to me."

"Put the damn shoes on," the witch commanded and Ellie listened, knowing that she was already pushing it with this dangerous woman.

"Why are you giving me these?"

"Just don't ask any questions," the green woman replied. Ellie got up from the table and began to walk away, but was stopped again, the witch's nails digging into her skin. Tears sprung to her eyes. It was all too much. She should have never went into that castle.

"Just let me go, please. I just want to find Glinda."

"Why are you so desperate to find her?"

"Because I don't want to be alone anymore," Ellie cried. "Please, just let me go. I promise I'll never bother you again." Ellie noticed that the grip on her arm softened a bit.

"I'll bring you to the Emerald City."

"Why would you want to do that? You hate me."

"You're just a child, my pretty. I can't just let you walk all the way to Emerald City. You'd probably die."

"Why do you even care?" Ellie sniffed.

"Never said I did," the witch remarked. "I just want to make sure Dorothy's little angel will not go on some strange quest to attempt to kill me." With that said, the wicked witch forcefully led Ellie into a room on the second floor of the joint to spend the night in. Ellie had never slept worse in her life.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>"Get up," the witch said harshly, causing Ellie to wake up. She looked outside and saw it was still dark out. Sighing, she put the ruby slippers on her feet, pulled her dress over her head, and followed the green skinned woman out of the room they had stayed in. The witch took her arm with her long, slim fingers and dragged her to a coach. She helped Ellie get in and they were off. Ellie wished she could see the horses instead of just this mean woman in front of her.<p>

In the silence, Ellie could hear the witch's stomach growl. She was so thin, it looked like she barely ate. And when she thought about it, the witch's fingers were quite bony. Reaching into her pocket, Ellie took out one of the apples and handed it to her. Ellie took one out for herself and began to eat it. The apples themselves were small, but they were good enough. Ellie kept her mouth shut because she didn't want to cause the witch to snap at her again. She didn't even know why she was sticking around with her anyway. Well, she had been forced into it, but still, she could run off but the witch would probably find her and hunt her down. Quite frankly, the witch didn't trust her, not one bit.

Ellie found herself staring at the witch, admiring her somewhat odd beauty. Ellie didn't mind that her skin was green. She hated when people judged her for her skin color, so she didn't want to do that to her, even if this was someone her mother had warned her about in her stories. "Stop staring. It isn't polite." Ellie turned her head and rested it against the back of the seat and felt herself dozing off due to her lack of sleep for the past few nights.

"_Elena May Gale. Did I get your name right?" a woman's voice said. Ellie was confused and didn't understand where she was. She wasn't even standing on a floor; instead she was standing on literally nothing. There was no way she could describe it. She looked around, wondering who said her name. "Well, is that your name or isn't it?" the voice sounded impatient._

"_Yes," Ellie responded quickly. "That is my name."_

"_You're wearing my shoes, little Elena."_

"_These ruby slippers are yours?" Ellie asked. All of a sudden, a woman with beautiful brown hair appeared before her. But the thing was, she was stumbling towards her, and she happened to fall down onto the floor, or whatever she was standing on. Ellie rushed over to her and stretched her hand out to help her up. However, the woman didn't accept it. Ellie didn't know why she didn't realize this at first, but the woman didn't have any arms. "Did you hurt anything?" she asked her._

"_You know, I'm beginning to like you the more I watch you," the woman said, lifting her head slightly. "You didn't ask me if I was okay, and I like that because obviously I'm not okay. Help me sit up." Ellie did just that and let the woman lean against her slightly so that she could balance herself. "You are quite different, aren't you?"_

"_A lot of people tell me that, but not in the good way," Ellie admitted._

"_I know, I have been watching you since your birth." For some reason, Ellie wasn't startled by it. Instead, she was pleased that someone cared about her for once._

"_Who are you?" Ellie asked. _

"_You'll find out soon enough, little Elena. Just stick with Elphaba."_

"_Who's Elphaba?" The woman just laughed a bit, but then disappeared._

Ellie opened her eyes and realized that she was leaning against the wicked witch. The odd thing was, the witch didn't seem to mind because she was just reading a book to pass the time. Ellie had never been so close to a person before. Dorothy never really cuddled her, so the feeling was nice although the person didn't particularly like her too much. "Finally awake?" the witch said, keeping her eyes on her book. Ellie sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. She began to stare into space as she thought about her dream and pieced it together. She didn't remember most of it, but she remembered some parts. And the parts she remembered were so vivid it scared her a little.

"What's your name?" Ellie decided to ask the witch.

"It isn't relevant," she dismissed her.

"I'd like to think of you as someone," Ellie said.

"Think of me as the Wicked Witch."

"But I don't think of you as a wicked witch."

"Then what do you think of me?" the witch asked, annoyance evident in her voice. Ellie just shrugged.

"Just the witch, I guess." The witch snorted. "But I don't want to think of you as that. You must have a name."

"Fine, if you must know, it's Elphaba," the witch admitted. Ellie wanted to gasp, but she didn't. Elphaba didn't need to know she was mentioned in her dream, and she certainly didn't need to know about the woman with no arms.

"I've never heard that name before, but it's pretty," Ellie smiled. Elphaba rolled her eyes, but Ellie noticed a small smile form that she tried to hide behind her book. Maybe if she was just nice to Elphaba, then she'd be nice to Ellie. It might take some time, but Ellie knew that dream meant something more than what it was.

They got out of the carriage at nightfall. Elphaba grabbed her hand roughly and dragged her along to some cheap motel room to stay in for the night. The bed was better than the last one she slept in. She was hungry, but she was afraid of Elphaba, so she didn't ask. However, her stomach had a better way of going about it and began to make loud grumbling sounds. "Hungry?" Elphaba asked her. Ellie only nodded because how could she possibly lie after her stomach screamed the truth?

Elphaba undid the locks on the door and dragged her through the motel quickly, almost too fast for her legs to keep up. She knew why they were going so fast though, because the place was a bit sketchy and some creepy men were eyeing her even though she was a child.

They found a restaurant and ordered food. Elphaba didn't eat and just stared ahead of her into space. Ellie asked her why she wasn't eating, and it was simply because money was running short, and it wasn't like she had a job or anything. Ellie offered her some food, and Elphaba accepted half of her sandwich. "I'm sorry if I'm kind of a bother to you," Ellie apologized. "I know you don't really want to be here with me. I mean, I can walk from here. I don't want you to use up all your money on me."

"I can't just let you go, my pretty. Either you will get killed on your own, or you will come and kill me. I don't want either of us dying now," Elphaba explained.

"I would never kill you," Ellie whispered.

"Maybe you wouldn't, but you might warn others about me."

"I would never."

"It's better and safer this way."

"If you were really worried, wouldn't you not want to bring me to Glinda?" Ellie asked.

"Glinda isn't who I'm worried about," Elphaba snapped. After that, Ellie remained silent and was dragged, yet again, to the room they were staying in for the night.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

_Ellie was in that odd place again. She saw the woman with no arms and walked over to her. All of a sudden, they were transferred to some kind of meadow. She sat down next to her and saw she was staring at a lake with a couple of ducks in it. "Hello, Elena. Come sit." Ellie listened and sat down next to her. "You know what I like about you?" Ellie shook her head, watching the ducks swim around. "I like that you never commented on the fact I don't have any arms. Are you not curious?"_

"_Not really," Ellie shrugged. "I don't think pointing it out will change anything."_

"_You know, you kind of remind me of Elphaba," the woman chuckled._

"_What? No, we're nothing alike."_

"_That's what you think. She wasn't always so cold towards people, you know. There was a time when she was your age and she was insecure about herself. Although, I think the difference between you two is that she gave up on people and you haven't, at least not yet of course."_

"_You mean she was picked on a lot as a kid? Like me?"_

"_Unfortunately, and I didn't make it any better."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You'll find out," the woman said._

"_What is your name anyway?" Ellie asked. She didn't want to change the subject, but for some reason, she just was. It was as if she had no control over it. The woman just chuckled and didn't answer her. "You're beautiful. And so is Elphaba. I'm not."_

"_You are very pretty," the woman said._

"_Thanks," Ellie said and cuddled up next to her. For some reason, she felt very comfortable with her. She let all of her guards down and rested her head on her chest. "I miss mama, but I don't even know why. She wasn't very motherly towards me."_

"_That's because you aren't hers."_

"_What do you mean?" Ellie shot up and looked the woman in the eyes. But before the woman could respond, the image disappeared._

Ellie was getting very frustrated. She hoped this was not going to be some kind of reoccurring dream, such as the ones she had when she was about five, when she kept seeing, no, it couldn't be; she had dreamed about this woman about five years ago! How could she have forgotten? However, she didn't remember any of those dreams she had way back when.

She got out of bed and got dressed and put on the ruby slippers. "We've got to hurry," Elphaba said indifferently and dragged Ellie (yet again) to a carriage. Without any breakfast, the two began their way to the Emerald City. The day went by slowly, the two of them not saying a word to each other, mainly because Elphaba was reading a book and Ellie was thinking too much about her dreams. As she thought about them, she fell asleep again.

"_Back already?" the woman asked, in the same spot in the meadow near the lake._

"_Guess so," Ellie said and sat down next to the woman. _

"_Something troubling you, Elena?"_

"_It's this dream…no offense, but it's becoming more of a nightmare."_

"_Oh? You're not happy to see me?"_

"_No, it's not that…well kind of. I just…it feels too real."_

"_Then maybe it is real," the woman suggested._

"_But it can't be. I know this isn't real."_

"_Elena, come lean against me." Ellie obliged although she didn't know why. "There, now, do you feel anything?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean do you physically feel anything?"_

"_Just you."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I'm leaning against you."_

"_But if this was a dream, would you feel it?" Ellie gasped and stood up, looking down at the armless woman._

"_No, this can't be real."_

"_Does it matter, Elena?"_

"_I don't know anymore," she cried._

Ellie woke up and she was in the carriage again, leaning against Elphaba. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She didn't want this to be a routine thing. But the thing was, she needed the comfort and she had to tell Elphaba about her dreams, or dream, whatever it was. She decided to give it a try. After all, Elphaba seemed to be realistic about things and maybe she'd talk some sense into Ellie. "Elphaba?"

"Is it important?"

"Yes. See, I've been having this dream," Ellie started, but was interrupted.

"It isn't real."

"Can you please just listen to me? It's really confusing and I just want to," Ellie was interrupted, yet again by Elphaba.

"I'm not here to listen to your problems, or your dreams. I'm here to make sure I don't die or you don't die."

"Why won't you just listen?"

"It doesn't concern me," Elphaba snapped.

"I don't know why you insisted on coming with me," Ellie said as they got off of the carriage, which had broken down. A wheel or something needed to be replaced or tightened, or something. Ellie didn't really know what the problem was, but they were advised to get out of it by the driver.

"I already told you," Elphaba harshly whispered at her. She didn't want to cause a scene. Drawing attention to herself would be stupid.

"That's a dumb reason," Ellie said with attitude. She was tired of being pushed around on Earth and in Oz. It was too much for someone her age. She didn't want to suffer anymore. "I should just go by myself. I am perfectly capable of walking."

"Oh no, I am not sending a ten year old to go off on her own," Elphaba spat.

"Why not? You don't seem to even like me! And to think the lady without any arms told me to stick with you the other night!"

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba asked, anger seeming to be replaced with confusion and a bit of hurt, maybe a bit of sadness? But as fast as the expression came, it went, and anger took over yet again.

"In my dream, an armless woman with brown hair has been talking to me! But it doesn't matter, because it's just a dream, isn't it?" Ellie harshly whispered at Elphaba. She wasn't afraid of her anymore, and she wasn't afraid of what she could do to her. If she was going to kill Ellie, maybe brutally murder her, well, she didn't really care. She was becoming numb, and that what was honestly scaring her, not Elphaba. "I'm going by myself," Ellie said. She began to run as fast as she could down the Yellow Brick Road. She would find Glinda herself.

Ellie hid behind a tree for the time being, peering out to make sure Elphaba wouldn't follow her. The last thing she needed was some beautiful green witch to come after her. Oh, how contradicting those two words were; beautiful and witch. She wasn't coming after her. Ellie smiled, but it quickly faded when she saw someone with a gun approach Elphaba. She couldn't make out the words, but there was a lot of shouting. The green skinned woman tried to fight back. Ellie couldn't see anything due to the sun that was descending in the sky, and the fact that a mob of people were crowding around the scene. Curiosity getting the best of her, Ellie decided to go back despite the fact that Elphaba would follow her again.

As she walked over, she heard a gunshot. She heard a scream. It sounded just like Elphaba's. Ellie found herself caring. After all, Elphaba was a person too, and someone she knew. She attempted to push her way through the crowd, but it was harder than it looked. Eventually, she got to the front of the circle and gasped in horror when she saw Elphaba just laying there. She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the scene before her. _Elena, use my shoes, darling. Use them. Tell them who you believe you are. _

The thing was, Ellie wasn't dreaming. She opened her eyes and decided to listen to the armless woman's voice. She ran over to Elphaba and knelt near her. The police, or whatever they were called, tried to interfere. "Get away from the Wicked Witch of the West. She's dangerous."

"The Wicked Witch? I thought she was dead!" people began to say things and the crowd whispered away, passing on the knowledge.

"No, you get away from her!" Ellie said. Tears fell from her eyes and she was pulled away. Elphaba was passed out and was being dragged roughly. Ellie closed her eyes, waiting for advice. _Use the shoes._

_How?_

_Stomp your feet, say who you believe you are._

And Ellie did just that. She slammed her feet into the ground, pounding it with the ruby slippers. "My name is Elena May Gale. I am the daughter of Dorothy Gale. I command you to let the witch go!" she demanded. The crowd grew quiet. "Mama won't be happy when I tell her about this, not one bit, especially when she didn't do something wrong. Besides, mama killed the Wicked Witch of the West. I think she knows considering she was there. This is some innocent woman. Just look at her." For some reason, Elphaba's skin appeared to everyone as white, a normal skin tone. Ellie assumed it was magic and it must have been the shoes.

"I thought she had green skin a moment ago," someone spoke up.

"Get out of here, all of you or I'm gonna have mama drop a house on you!" she threatened. The crowd left, knowing that Dorothy Gale was a trustworthy person, and this had to be her daughter for she had the ruby slippers and there was no way anyone else could ever get them, not ever.

Ellie knelt down next to Elphaba and picked her up by the armpits. She began to drag her to the side of the Yellow Brick Road. Ellie noticed the wound wasn't bleeding anymore, so all she could do was cry. "I'm so sorry, Elphaba. This is my entire fault. If I didn't come here, or if I didn't have that silly tantrum, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." Cuddling up to the woman, Ellie fell into a deep slumber.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p><em>Ellie was having that darn dream again, she knew it, although the placing was odd. She was standing in a crowd of small people, probably the munchkins from Munchkin Land her mother her told her about. God, how she missed Dorothy. It was hitting her more in a dream than in reality. It was quite strange. "What am I doing here?" she wondered aloud, but it didn't seem as if anyone recognized her, except of course, the woman with no arms; she appeared again. But this time, the woman with no arms looked as if she was making a speech and then all of a sudden house fell, crushing the woman with no arms. Ellie cried out and ran towards her, kneeling down next to her. Blood pooled around her and soaked her white stockings, turning them red to match the ruby slippers. Just as fast as it happened, the faster she was transported back to the meadow with the lake in the distance with the ducks. The armless woman appeared standing. Ellie walked up to her with her tear stained face. "What was that?"<em>

"_It was my death, Elena. I'm sorry you had to see that."_

"_So you are dead?" Ellie asked. "But…how is this possible that I'm even dreaming about you? I've never seen you in real life before."_

"_And what makes you think that this is not real, either? Remember you felt me against you last time."_

"_But when I woke up, I was sleeping against Elphaba. So, it could have been just that."_

"_Maybe," the woman said and stepped towards her, almost falling as she did so. Ellie helped her balance and sit down to make it easier for her. "However, is it possible to know that you are dreaming when you are dreaming? Or is this an alternate reality?"_

"_This is too confusing. I'm only ten," Ellie said and shook her head, finding an odd sort of comfort with this woman, putting her head in her lap._

"_Oh, how I wish I could just stroke your hair, little Elena," she sighed. "You are very intelligent for your age. I saw the marks you got in school."_

"_But this is beyond me," Ellie said and started to cry again._

"_Everything will come together soon, Elena. Just stay with Elphaba like you have been doing."_

"_Well, I'm not going to stay with her for long," Ellie said. "I'm going to go live with Glinda. Once she finds out who I am, surely she'll let me stay with her."_

"_Probably, but just stay with Elphaba for now, at least until you figure everything out," the brunette gave her a small smile._

Ellie woke up, still cuddled next to Elphaba in an alley. She felt an arm hug her a little. She looked up and saw that the witch was very much awake, probably waiting for her to wake up so they could get on with their journey, or her journey. But the thing was, Ellie had to tell Elphaba about these weird dreams, or whatever they were. "You didn't run off, my pretty. Why is this? You could have left me there to die or let them kill me."

"I couldn't," Ellie whispered. "I don't know why, but I think I care about you, even though you can be mean sometimes."

"I'm sorry," Elphaba sighed. "I shouldn't be so mean to you. After all, you aren't Dorothy or her stupid little dog."

"His name was Toto. Yeah, I hated him, too," Ellie smiled. The two sat up and Elphaba pulled Ellie up onto her lap a bit awkwardly, but Ellie assumed she thought she was going to go run off again.

"He was quite an annoyance," she agreed. "Anyway, thank you for saving me, although I didn't deserve it."

"Everyone deserves a life, I think," Ellie said. "Besides, you should be thanking these shoes, or no, the armless woman in my dreams. Somehow, she told me what to do and it worked. But I think the magic wore off because you're skin is green again. But I like you better this way."

"Why do you keep bringing up an armless woman?" Elphaba asked. Ellie could tell she was trying very hard not to snap. After all, she had just discovered this girl's loyalty and she probably didn't want to screw it up.

"She's in my dreams."

"Describe her," Elphaba encouraged.

"Well, she's got beautiful brown hair, and her eyes are also brown, like yours and mine. She can't really walk by herself. She tells me things, and she once told me that these are her ruby slippers, and she showed me her death last night. A house fell on her…like how…mama killed her," Ellie whispered the last part, just realizing the connection between all of this. "And mama, she told me in her stories that you said she killed your sister…" she trailed.

"How is this possible?" Elphaba asked. "How did you find out all of this about my sister?" she demanded to know the answers, and Ellie was willing to give her anything she knew.

"I don't know, the lady won't tell me why she's coming to me in my dreams. I swear, they are so real it's hard for me even to believe. I'm really confused, too. But wait, does this mean that this person is your sister?"

"I don't know. I don't even think it's possible to dream that vividly, well, from what I can tell you're describing," Elphaba said, sounding confused and still a bit harsh, but Ellie was beginning to tell that the toughness she displayed was simply a mask of some sorts, but she wasn't really that confident in her own analysis.

"She tells me that maybe it's not a dream, and implies it might be another reality. But the thing is, I never believed in other worlds. But the more I think about it, the more true it may seem because here I am, in another world," Ellie explained.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would you be the one to see her in your dreams? Why not me?" Elphaba asked, almost desperate to see her own sister again, to hold her in her arms.

"I don't know," Ellie said and saw a tear escape from the green woman's eyes, burning her skin upon contact. Ellie used her handkerchief, the one her mama embroidered for her, and patted Elphaba's tear away so it didn't burn her anymore. "Now that I know who she is, she might answer more questions. I know I'll probably see her again tonight when I go to sleep. But can you answer one question for me?" Elphaba only nodded. She looked weaker than how her mother described her. Dorothy never really got to know her like Ellie had, so she was completely biased about the whole thing. Ellie on the other hand, knew the stories and knew what was true. Elphaba wasn't wicked, and maybe when she got to Glinda, she would tell her about Elphaba and try to clear her name so she could live a normal life and not get shot at for just existing. "What is your sister's name?"

"I can't tell you that," Elphaba sighed.

"Why not?" Ellie asked.

"Because I'm having a hard time believing this. If you can find out her name in your so called dreams, I'll have to believe you." Ellie nodded, understanding what she was saying. She got up from her bony lap and stood up, holding out her hand for Elphaba to take.

"Come on, we've got a long ways to the Emerald City, right?"

"You still want me to come with you?" Elphaba said and smirked at her. "What happened to you could just walk there?"

"I could, but I do like the company," Ellie said. "Unless you don't want to, then I'll just go by myself." Elphaba then took her hand and stood up. Ellie smiled broadly and hugged her. She felt Elphaba tense up, but she kept hugging her. She probably lacked any kind of human contact. Ellie was glad when she felt her thin arms around her small frame.

"Let's go," Ellie said. "Are you okay from yesterday, though?"

"Of course, my pretty. While you were sleeping, I took care of it."

"Is there a faster way to the Emerald City besides these carriages?"

"There's my broom, but that wouldn't end well because people would spot me. But what we can do is take the train. It's about a day's walk from here."

"Would that bring us to Emerald City?"

"No, but a train is faster than horses, don't you think?" Elphaba said.

"Okay then, let's go!" Ellie said, dragging Elphaba behind her.

"I'm glad that you're confident and all, taking the liberty to lead the way, however, you're going the wrong way," Elphaba pointed out. Ellie stopped in her tracks, turned around, and blushed.

"Maybe you should lead then?" she said sheepishly. Elphaba chuckled a little and led the way towards the train station down the Yellow Brick Road.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>As they walked down the Yellow Brick Road, Ellie noticed the talking and walking animals again, so she decided to ask Elphaba why they weren't like the ones she was used to back at home, such as Toto. "Well, there's a difference. These are Animals. The other ones are animals. The Animals can walk, talk, and think like us. There is no difference between us and them, other than the species of course," Elphaba explained to her. Ellie nodded. It was starting to get late and she was getting tired. Her feet hurt and she was beginning to dislike the ruby slippers. Elphaba saw that she was getting tired, so she scooped her up to carry her. Ellie didn't protest, although she wished she had the strength to walk.<p>

"Thank you," Ellie sighed. "These shoes aren't really meant for walking."

"They're all you got," Elphaba shrugged. "And if I do buy you other shoes, we won't have enough money to get those train tickets." Ellie nodded, dozing off in the arms of the Wicked Witch of the West.

_Ellie found herself back in that meadow again. However, this time the woman with no arms wasn't present. Instead, Dorothy stood where Elphaba's sister should be standing. "Mama? What are you doing here?"_

"_I want you to choose me," Dorothy said as she held out her hand for her daughter to take. Ellie hesitated, not really knowing what was going on. All of a sudden, she noticed the armless woman lying on the ground, unable to get up. Ellie rushed over to her to help her get to her feet, but Dorothy stopped her in her tracks. "Come with me," she urged. "You're all I have in this world."_

"_But you're dead," Ellie said. "I don't understand."_

"_She's dead, too," Dorothy looked over to the woman with no arms. "Are you happy to see me, Ellie?"_

"_Of course I am, but I'm just confused," Ellie said._

"_Let me clear this up for you," the woman on the ground said. "Elena, if you choose Dorothy and follow her, you will only see her in these so called dreams."_

"_But if I choose you, then I'll never see mama again," Ellie said. "And if I choose mama, I'll never see you again."_

"_Correct," the brunette on the ground said._

"_You're hesitating," Dorothy said. "Come to mama, Ellie. Come to mama," she tried._

"_Go to her," the armless woman said. "She is your mother after all, right?"_

"_I don't think I can go with you, mama," Ellie said and stepped towards the woman on the ground._

"_Why not, Ellie? I did everything and anything for you," Dorothy said as tears started to fall down her face. Ellie helped Elphaba's sister sit upright and helped her balance._

"_Mama, never once did you tell me that you loved me. Nobody in South Carolina did. That's why I came to Oz, mama. I wanted to make you proud of me and I wanted to start over. And I did. I met the Wicked Witch of the West, who isn't so wicked. She isn't dead, mama. She lived. She's bringing me to Glinda, just what you wanted, remember? Before you died, you told me to find the ruby slippers and go live with Glinda when you died. That's where I'm going, mama. I feel wanted now, in a good way, a very good way. Elphaba, the witch, is caring for me. She's given me more physical contact than you have ever given me in ten years. And she," Ellie said, referring to the armless woman, "she has been so nice to me. I'm sorry, mama, but I have to choose her."_

"_You don't even know her name," Dorothy said, but sadly, knowing she wasn't going to be chosen._

"_It doesn't matter. She makes me feel safe, mama. She can help me here in Oz. I need her help, mama. I will never forget you; you had me, and raised me. But this is a chance for me to start anew."_

"_This woman? She cannot even hug you!" Dorothy pointed out, mostly out of sadness than anything else. The armless woman hung her head in shame, knowing that was indeed true._

"_That may be true," Ellie said, "But you have arms to hug me with, but you won't hug me with them. I don't think you ever have. There's something I don't know about you, mama. What is it?" There was a long pause before Dorothy opened her mouth to speak._

"_I'm not your mother, Ellie. I never was." Dorothy then stepped back and disappeared. Ellie found herself crying and leaning into the armless woman for comfort. She didn't mind that she didn't have arms to wrap around her. She was just glad that she was there with someone who cared about her._

"_Do you know what she means?" Ellie asked her._

"_I do," the woman nodded. "She's not your mother."_

"_But how is that possible? Who is my mother?"_

"_She's closer than you think," the woman said._

"_I don't see how this is possible," Ellie said. "Surely I'll dream about mama again."_

"_Maybe, but not in this place," the woman said._

"_So just like that, she's gone?"_

"_I told you to go with her."_

"_But I didn't want to. I'd rather stay here with you."_

"_I know. I was afraid of that. Elena, I can't give you everything or anything for that matter."_

"_You can give me answers. You can help me in the real world when there's trouble." Ellie hugged her. "And for some reason, I feel more connected with you than mama, although I find it strange considering we only met here, and not even in real life." _

"_Nessarose," she said softly, murmuring it into Ellie's hair. _

"_What?" Ellie asked and released her hold on her._

"_That's my name, Nessarose, or the Wicked Witch of the East. Elphaba will believe you now," she smiled. "Now, go on, I must rest."_

Ellie woke up and found she was still in Elphaba's arms. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping for, but it must have been a while because the moon and stars lit up the night sky. "Nessarose," she mumbled.

"What did you say?" Elphaba said and stopped walking, placing Ellie down on her feet.

"Nessarose, that was your sister's name, right? At least that's what she told me," Ellie confessed. Elphaba could only stare at her in shock. She probably couldn't believe what she was hearing, and knowing that Nessa chose Ellie to talk to as she slept instead of her own sister.

"You are telling the truth, aren't you?" she whispered.

"Of course I am," Ellie said. Elphaba fell to her knees and sat on the cold ground and held back her tears that she desperately wanted to release. But her allergy caused her to be tough and not let them fall. She didn't need any burns. "I'm sorry," Ellie cried and threw her arms around Elphaba after kneeling on the ground next to her. She was careful not to get any tears on the green skinned woman because she didn't want to burn her. Elphaba hesitantly, and probably a bit nervously, wrapped her arms around Ellie.

"It's not your fault," Elphaba's voice slightly cracked when she spoke, still trying to hold in the tears. Ellie wanted to tell her it's okay to cry, but for Elphaba, it really wasn't okay to cry because it would only burn her and cause even more pain.

"There's something I have to tell you," Ellie said. "Dorothy, she isn't my real mama according to Nessarose. I don't know how it's possible, though, but I believe her. She told me my real mother is closer than I think. I don't know what that means," Ellie explained. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Maybe it means your mother is here in Oz," Elphaba suggested. Ellie didn't know whether to think that she was trying to make her feel better, or she truly believed her. Ellie didn't even know whether to believe her dreams or not, or even if they were dreams. She remembered them perfectly, as if she was actually living it. Maybe she was.

"But who?" Ellie questioned. Elphaba shrugged, and Ellie accepted that answer. After all, how was she supposed to know? Elphaba stood up, helping Ellie to her feet.

"Let's go find a place to stay." Ellie nodded and smiled up at her, and Elphaba returned it. The happy moment was short lived when someone hit Elphaba in the back of her head, knocking her to the ground.

"Elphaba!" she exclaimed and knelt down onto the ground next to her body. However, she was pushed forcefully away and held back. She heard one of the men say to hold her back. All Ellie could do was watch the scene in front of her as five men beat Elphaba up on the Yellow Brick Road. Ellie closed her eyes in hopes for Nessarose to help her, but to no avail. Ellie watched the blood splatter as they hit Elphaba with some kind of crowbar or metal pole. She had to listen to her screams of agony. Ellie still continued to struggle through her tears and attempted to break free. She yelled things, things she didn't remember, but she was mostly yelling let her go. The more she yelled and screamed for help, the man holding her back would kick her hard, or the other one would punch her, making her want to stay quiet. All Ellie could do was watch and cry silently. She didn't know what one of the men was doing to her, and she was confused to why he got on top of her like that.

He wanted Elphaba to scream his name.

She stomped her feet on the ground even though every time she did, she would get hurt. The ruby slippers worked their magic somehow. Ellie didn't know what they did, nor did she care.

Suddenly, Ellie was tossed to the ground and the men ran away. She wondered why they even attacked them, but pushed that thought aside and ran over to Elphaba's side. It was dark out, but she could see that her dark dress was pulled up, her underwear pulled down, and bruises were starting to form on her thighs. Giving Elphaba some dignity, she pulled the dress down to cover her parts.

Ellie had no idea what had just happened considering she was only ten, but she knew Elphaba was hurt and the older woman was shaking. Elphaba usually looked so strong, but Ellie had a feeling she was really fragile, such as what she was showing now. Ellie could only hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

She had heard of women being attacked at night back in South Carolina. But she didn't know that women were attacked like this.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

* * *

><p>Ellie clung to Elphaba, but she was pushed away from her. Her sore body hit the yellow bricks and she cried out in pain. "Please, just don't touch me right now." Ellie nodded. Nevertheless, she crawled over to her and picked up the black hat that fell off of her head. She put it on Elphaba's head and gave her a small smile.<p>

"I think we should go find a place to stay," Ellie whispered. Elphaba nodded and stood up with Ellie's help. Usually, Elphaba would lead and find a place for them to stay. However, this time, Ellie decided to depend on herself for a change because whatever had happened to her was terrible. She didn't understand what happened, but she'd ask Nessarose later. And she'd ask her why she didn't help.

The two walked down the Yellow Brick Road until a house came into view. It was a simple farmhouse with a barn that housed no animals. Ellie mustered up all of her courage and knocked on the door. It must have been late. A man came to the door with a candle in his left hand, the doorknob in the other. "What are you doing this late?" he snapped at Ellie. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I am sorry, sir, but we were attacked tonight and we need a place to stay the night. We will be out by tomorrow morning," Ellie explained.

"Well I'll be damned, your head is bleeding," he said. Ellie reached up and touched her forehead and found that there was blood. Funny, she didn't remember getting hit in the head. She cringed when she realized it was Elphaba's. "I'll give you a room to stay in." He glanced at Elphaba. "But not her. She can stay in the barn." Ellie knew it was because of the color of her skin.

"Then I will be staying in the barn, too," Ellie decided. There was no way she was going to even consider staying in a strange man's home alone, and she wouldn't leave Elphaba in her time of need.

"Suit yourself," he said. "The door's open." He slammed the door in their faces. Ellie rolled her eyes. She took Elphaba's hand in her own and led her over to the old barn. She opened the door and closed it behind them. It was dark, but part of the room was lit up by the moon. There were stacks of hay that Ellie organized for them to sleep in. She motioned for the witch to lie down, which she did.

"I'm sorry," Ellie whispered to her as she tended to her wounds with her handkerchief. "Maybe after tonight, you should head back to your castle."

"No," she spoke up. "I'm not going to let you go by yourself. This is why I didn't want you to go alone."

"So you really came with me to protect me?" Ellie questioned.

"Of course, my pretty," she smiled at her. "I wouldn't want what happened to me to happen to you. It's better off it's me anyway."

"I don't understand," Ellie said.

"What don't you understand?" Elphaba asked her.

"I don't get what happened to you. I mean, he wanted you to scream his name, and he pulled your dress up. I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand, Ellie." Ellie just nodded. Adults said that to her all the time, so what difference did it make this time around? But she knew something bad had happened, and Elphaba was feeling very, well, she didn't know. Sad maybe? Scared? Hurt? Ellie did the only thing she could do in this situation: she began to sing. She stroked Elphaba's hair as she did so to help her go to sleep. She remembered how Aunt Emily (whom Dorothy called Auntie Em) helped her go to sleep like this once when she was about four years old, before Dorothy cut off all contact with them. Once Elphaba fell asleep, Ellie dozed off, too, using Elphaba's stomach as a pillow.

"_Nessarose!" Ellie called once she entered the dream like place. She had a bone to pick with her, and she wanted some explanations. She ran through the meadow, desperately searching for her. Eventually, she saw her in the distance and picked up her speed. "You have to tell me what happened to Elphaba," Ellie said to Nessarose, who was sitting in a chair overlooking the lake._

"_Elena, what in Oz is the matter?" Nessarose asked her. Ellie had tears streaming down her face. "Come up here and sit on my lap," she said. Ellie did as she was told and leaned against Nessa's chest. "Tell me what happened."_

"_Well, Elphaba and I were travelling tonight and all of a sudden these men-they came out of nowhere. They attacked us, mostly Elphaba. They held me back every time I screamed for help and for them to stop. And then they beat Elphaba really bad. One of the men told her to scream his name, but she didn't. When they ran away, I went over to her and she was, well, exposed. Her dress was pulled up and her underwear was down and she had bruises on her thighs," Ellie explained. Nessarose was shocked, but then tears leaked from her eyes. Ellie looked up at her._

"_Why are you crying?" she asked._

"_It's just…what happened to her."_

"_I know something more happened, but I don't understand what happened. I'm so confused. Can you please tell me?"_

"_I don't think it would be appropriate for me to tell you," Nessarose decided._

"_But I need to know what happened. And besides, the one time you weren't watching me something like this happens."_

"_Okay," Nessa said after a long pause. "Do you know how babies are made? Just go with me on this one."_

"_Mama told me that it's called," she said, but then whispered the word "sex."_

"_Right, and when do people do that?" Nessarose asked._

"_When they love each other and want a baby," Ellie explained._

"_Good. But you see, it isn't always a good thing in some cases."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Sometimes, men force themselves upon women when they don't want to. The men have no intentions of having a baby, they just want the pleasure of sex."_

"_Can you simplify that for me?" Ellie asked. "I don't think I'm getting it."_

"_He forced Elphaba to have sex with him. She didn't want to, but he forced her to," Nessarose said with a shaky breath. "Oh my…" she cried. "Elphaba."_

"_Oh no," Ellie cried. "I think I've heard of that before. Isn't it called raping someone?" Ellie questioned. She had read in the papers in South Carolina that a woman had been raped once late at night. She had asked Dorothy what it meant, and she told her as if she was old enough to even know. There had been no emotion in her voice. But the way Nessa described it, it sounded so terrible, horrific, and sad. Ellie couldn't believe she had witnessed that. But who could blame her? She was too young to know of these things. But then again, she had traveled to Oz by herself and she had always been independent, forced to grow up faster than the other children._

"_Yes," Nessarose said. "It is. Elphaba is going to need you more than ever, even if she doesn't say she needs you. She's going to probably feel vulnerable and scared on the inside."_

"_What can I do to help her and make the pain go away?" Ellie asked._

"_Just being with her would help," Nessarose suggested. _

"_But there must be something I can do," Ellie wept._

"_Just be there for her. She doesn't have anyone else, so your presence is good for her," Nessarose said. Ellie just nodded. "If you're ever in trouble, stomp your feet on the ground like last time. The shoes will save you. However, use it sparingly because the magic on them doesn't last forever."_

Ellie slowly opened her eyes and found that she had been crying in her sleep. She felt Elphaba's bony arms around her, holding her close. Ellie looked up and saw the witch was still sleeping. She didn't want to wake her by getting up, but her bladder said otherwise. Slowly and carefully, Ellie crawled out of the bed made of hay and went to use the outhouse.

When she returned, she saw that Elphaba had woken up and was looking around frantically for her. Ellie ran over to her and took her hand. "I'm right here," she whispered in her ear as she stroked her black hair. "I'm not gonna leave you."

"But you will," Elphaba said and closed her eyes. "You're going to go live with Glinda, remember? I'm just bringing you to her. That's all I am. Somebody's keeper. First it was Nessa, then Glinda, now you." She opened her eyes slowly. Ellie didn't know what to say to that because it was honestly true. She was only there to look out for Ellie. This made Ellie feel terrible and she just wanted to fix everything.

"I'm sorry," she said as tears fell from her eyes. She didn't let herself sob, though. "I shouldn't have come here. I should go back home to South Carolina and live with whatever it is to come. I was stupid," she whispered. "I thought I wouldn't cause trouble here. I was so wrong and I'm so sorry. I apologize to you about everything I did to you, and what mama did to you. Maybe I truly am the Devil's child; maybe I was just kidding myself about living a nice life where no one would bring me down." Ellie didn't know why she said all of it. All she really had to do was apologize. She knew she didn't need to add in all that stuff.

"No, it's not your fault," Elphaba said and picked Ellie up onto her lap. "You remind me too much of myself when I was your age; always blaming myself for things and letting people blame me for things that I have never done."

"It doesn't matter," Ellie sniffed. "It's still my fault. Even if you say it isn't, it still is. That doesn't change anything. Maybe you should just head back to your place. I can get to Emerald City. All I have to do is follow the Yellow Brick Road."

"Now you're just being ridiculous," Elphaba said.

"Mama was able to do it."

"Yes, but on the way, she met a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Lion, not to mention they were all men. You can't go by yourself, Ellie. As old as you act, you're really just a little girl. You need guidance. If I don't go with you, well…I'd rather be the one who gets hurt. You're still young."

"I may be young, but it doesn't mean that I'm not innocent. I've seen things that most adults haven't seen. When I was five, I had to get my own food. Mama wasn't very good at cooking. She barely ate herself. The doctors say she went crazy. It wasn't her fault, though. She wasn't really crazy. But she talked about Oz too much, I think, trying to convince adults it was real. She told me it was fake, but she told me to go live with Glinda before she died. I could never tell who she really was. She was always on weird pills."

"I'm going to bring you to Emerald City. I'll make sure you get there without any more troubles."

"I've been thinking about that," Ellie confessed. "Maybe we don't have to go to Emerald City."

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked.

"I mean, I'd rather stay with you." Ellie looked up at her with her large, brown eyes. Elphaba smiled at her, but then her face hardened and took Ellie off of her lap.

"You can't stay with me."

"Why not?" Ellie asked.

"It wouldn't be good for you. Come on, or we'll miss the train," Elphaba said and grabbed her hand roughly.

"But I don't want to go anymore. I want to stay with you!"

"No, you aren't staying with me and that's final!"

"But Elphaba," Ellie cried as she was being pulled roughly.

"What?" she hissed at her when she made them stop walking abruptly. This only made Ellie cry harder.

"I love you." With those three simple, innocent words, Elphaba slapped her across the face.

"I hate you," Elphaba replied. "Now, let's get going. We have to get to the train station." Ellie nodded and was dragged towards the train station.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

* * *

><p>Four days. That was how long Ellie had been on a train to Emerald City with Elphaba. The two hadn't really uttered a word to each other. Ellie was used to being ignored, anyway because she had gone days without being spoken to. She had seen Nessarose in her dreams every night, but she ran away from her because she didn't want to speak to anyone in that family. Although, she did miss her time with both of the sisters.<p>

Ellie stared out of the window and watched the trees and people go by. Luckily, they had been on time for the train that would go straight to Emerald City. She heard people saying that the train only came once a month, and Ellie had just gotten lucky for once in her life. She had been happy for a moment, but one look at the witch made her sad again. She watched Elphaba reading from the corner of her eye. She desperately wanted to go up to her and hug her, and be told everything was going to be okay, but she knew she couldn't. Ellie would just be pushed away again. Just like everyone else who made her go away.

She swung her legs back and forth, then stopped, because Elphaba had given her a stern look to stop it. Ellie wanted to ask how much longer the train ride was going to take, but she wouldn't dare ask Elphaba. So, Ellie did the only thing she could do to make the ride go faster. She fell asleep.

_Ellie saw Nessarose sitting far from the lake in the meadow. She was going to leave her alone, but the older woman was crying upon closer inspection. Feeling in her gut that she had something to do with Nessa's sadness, she walked over to her and sat down next to her. Ellie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Nessarose looked down at her and smiled through her tears. "Oh, Elena, I thought you didn't want to speak to me anymore!" She kissed her forehead._

"_I'm sorry for ignoring you, Nessarose. I just had to be alone. Elphaba hasn't been too nice to me."_

"_I know, and I apologize on her behalf."_

"_She started to give me the cold shoulder after I said I loved her," Ellie said and started to cry. She buried her head in Nessa's chest and couldn't help but wish she had arms to hold her; that was all Ellie really needed, to be held._

"_There's something I must tell you, Elena," Nessarose said. "I cannot keep it a secret any longer."_

"_What is it?" Ellie asked._

"_Remember how I said that your biological mother was closer than you thought?" Nessarose asked her. Ellie looked into her brown orbs and nodded. She waited in anticipation for an answer. "You are looking at her, Elena."_

"_You're my mother?" Ellie asked in shock. "But that cannot be possible, can it?"_

"_Indeed it is. I wasn't pregnant at the time. I mean, who would ever sleep with someone without any arms? Part of me was transferred into young Dorothy. I didn't think she would have you so young, though."_

"_But how was I transferred to mama?" Ellie asked, unable to call her mother anything but mama. It was an old habit of hers._

"_Simple; the ruby slippers. They're pure magic." _

"_You're my mother?" Ellie asked. No wonder she had some odd connection with Nessarose. Nessa nodded. Ellie started crying tears of joy, but then she became sad._

"_I know it's hard to have an armless mother, but…" Nessarose trailed._

"_No, it's not that," Ellie said. "It's just…you're dead."_

"_You thought Elphaba was dead, too, but there she is," Nessarose replied._

"_What does that have to do with anything?"_

Before her question could be answered, Ellie was woken up by Elphaba to get off the train. When she looked out the window, everything from the buildings, roads, and clothes were all green. A large smile plastered on her face when she realized she was in Emerald City, but the smile faded when she was brought back to reality and quickly followed Elphaba off of the train.

Elphaba was walking too fast, and Ellie feared she'd get lost in the crowds of people hustling by. Luckily, she didn't, and Elphaba ended up grabbing her hand so she didn't lose her. Ellie noted that the sun was setting, so she and Elphaba found a place to stay for the night with the little money Elphaba had left.

Without saying a word to each other, they ate dinner and washed up before going to bed. Ellie realized that she'd be meeting Glinda most likely tomorrow. She wanted to go live with her because she knew that the blonde witch was indeed good and she'd love her and raise her right, and maybe even remember her birthday. The thing was, she didn't want to stay with Elphaba if she was going to act like this all of the time. Ellie only wanted to be a normal child.

She contemplated about telling the witch that Nessarose was her mother, her real mother. She decided not to because why did she have to speak to someone who hated her? Who loathed her existence? She didn't even know why Elphaba was still traveling with her anymore.

The next morning, without words of course, Elphaba rushed Ellie out of the room and out into the streets where people of Emerald City were hurrying in the same direction to the old Wizard's place that now housed Glinda the Good. "What's going on?" Ellie found her voice.

"Glinda's going to make a speech," Elphaba said. "You have to get to her before she does." She then picked up Ellie and shoved her way through the crowd, not caring if she stepped on people's feet or shoved them to the ground.

Eventually, Elphaba got up to one of the guards. She made sure to be careful about showing her skin, so she didn't make eye contact with them. "I have Dorothy Gale's daughter," she said. "She wants to meet Glinda," she said as she dropped Ellie on the ground. The guard rolled his eyes, but then noticed the ruby slippers on Ellie's feet.

"Well I'll be damned," he murmured. "I thought it was just a rumor that Dorothy's little girl came to visit. Come, come," the guard said.

"One moment, please," Ellie said sweetly. She then turned to Elphaba. "I'm going to miss you. I will come visit." She wanted the old Elphaba back. She didn't want to end like this.

"My pretty, didn't I already tell you that you don't really mean anything to me?"

"I hate you, too," Ellie found herself saying harshly, trying to mimic Elphaba's intimidation, before the guard pulled her into the largest building in Emerald City.

And just like that, Elphaba wasn't there anymore. Instead, she was with a stranger that smiled at her and held her hand to bring her up to Glinda. "I heard your name is Elena, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir, but I prefer Ellie," she responded. Ellie was too focused on the fact she'd probably never see the beautiful green witch again, who was supposedly her aunt, but Elphaba didn't know it, so she didn't really notice her surroundings. She was beginning to wish she told Elphaba because it may have changed her mind entirely.

"My apologies, Miss Ellie." She only nodded and followed him up the large staircase. Normally, she would have been mesmerized by the sight of it, but she wasn't really feeling normal, either.

Finally, the stairs had ended and he brought her to a room. He knocked on the door, and said, "My apologies, Lady Glinda, however, the daughter of Dorothy Gale is here to see you!" Ellie's heart began pounding when she heard heels clicking on the hardwood floor. The door opened and a beautiful woman stood before Ellie.

She had gorgeous, blonde hair which was curled with a tiara placed on the top. Her light blue dress sparkled whenever the light hit it. The only thing that Ellie didn't expect was that she was indeed very short, probably not taller than five feet without heels. "I have heard rumors about you coming, Elena." She gave her a warm and welcoming smile. "Please, come inside. I will be making a speech in an hour or so." Ellie could only nod at her perfectness and beauty, and followed her into the room, the guard closing the door behind them.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

* * *

><p>Ellie sat down on a sofa next to Glinda who had invited her to sit on it. "Why have you come here?" she asked her ever so nicely. Ellie looked up at the blonde, but couldn't smile.<p>

"I came here to live with you because mama, er, Dorothy died," Ellie said. She began to explain her childhood to the woman dressed in a beautiful blue gown. She told her things from how Dorothy never hugged her, to the time when Dorothy told her to go to Oz and live with Glinda. "I had to get out of South Carolina," she explained. "They said she was crazy, and I didn't want to be involved with that."

"I am so terribly sorry to hear that. Of course you can stay with me for a while." Glinda wrapped her arms around Ellie, and she found that Glinda had been crying listening to her tragic childhood. She wanted to hug her back, but she found that she couldn't. She wanted to tell Glinda about Elphaba, even though the green witch was practically in hiding and probably didn't want anyone, not even Glinda the Good, to know. However, Ellie felt that it was her duty to clear Elphaba's name.

"There's something I need to do," Ellie said and pushed away from her. "I have to tell you something very important."

"What might that be?" Glinda asked her. Ellie took a deep breath; it was either now or later, and now seemed better so she didn't have to worry about it.

"I didn't come here alone," Ellie started. "When I got here, I was tricked by a Tiger cub, and I went to the witch's castle to stay the night. I met Elphaba there, well, that's her real name, and she brought me here," Ellie explained.

"The Wicked Witch of the West is dead," Glinda snapped at her and stood up. "There is no possible way that she is still alive. I know she's dead."

"Then how would I know her name?" Ellie questioned. "I'm not lying; she's alive. And I'm not going to let people think she's wicked anymore. She's a good person," Ellie said as she stood up and looked up at Glinda. "And I think you shouldn't be telling people she's wicked. You gave mama the wrong impression about her." Ellie's tears started to fall down he cheeks.

"It's hard for me to believe Elphie is still alive," Glinda whispered. "I am sorry, but I do not think that I can easily believe this."

"What did you call her?" Ellie asked.

"Elphie. Oh, it was just an old nickname. You see, we met in college and became very, very good friends. Best friends even, and possibly something more. Oh, I don't even know why I am telling you all of this," Glinda said and wiped away her tears. Ellie watched her pace back and forth as she tried to comprehend that her friend was still alive. "I know that she was never wicked. She's misunderstood."

"Then why didn't you clear her name?"

"Elphie didn't want her name to be cleared. She made me promise not to."

"Then let me," Ellie decided. "I never talked in front of a lot of people before, but maybe I can clear her name, or at least try to. They'll listen to me. As far as they know, I'm Dorothy Gale's daughter, the daughter of a saint, they probably think." Glinda tilted her head in confusion at Ellie's choice of words.

"I do not think that is such a good idea," Glinda said.

One of the guards burst into the room, slamming the door against the wall. Ellie and Glinda turned quickly, and jumped slightly from being startled. The guard seemed out of breath, most likely because he ran up the stairs so quickly. His eyes were wide, and his mouth in a frown. "Lady Glinda, there is some devastating news."

"Whatever can it be?" Glinda asked.

"The Wicked Witch of the West lives! We have captured her, and it truly is her. The green skin and her atrocious features indicate it is indeed her. I was shocked myself until I saw her moments after she was captured. Shall we send her to Southstairs?" the guard said quickly. Ellie saw that Glinda's face went pale at the mention of that south-place, he had just said. Ellie assumed it must have been a terrible place, most likely some kind of prison.

"No," Glinda said. The guard looked at her as if she was insane.

"This is the Wicked Witch of the West we are talking about!" he exclaimed in shock.

"Please, just have her watch my speech first. She, um , must hear it. I will deal with her afterwards. If I hear she was sent to Southstairs, so help me by the Unnamed God you will be sent down there, do you hear me?"

"Yes, Lady Glinda," the guard said and hurried off to fulfill his duties.

"What are the Southstairs?" Ellie asked her.

"A terrible place where the worst of people go, murderers and such."

"Do people who rape other people go down there?" Ellie asked.

"Sometimes. I am surprised that you know about such a horrid act," Glinda said.

"I watched it happen to Elphaba," Ellie said. She wasn't able to keep it a secret from the woman dressed so elegantly, and beautifully.

"Do not lie to me."

"I'm not a liar. And I would never lie about something like that," Ellie explained.

"Oh, sweet Lurline," Glinda said and started shaking as she sobbed. "I wish you were lying."

"Me, too," Ellie said and put a comforting hand on her shoulder and sat down next to her on the sofa once again. "Please, if you can't clear her name, let me try."

"I don't think that is a good idea, Elena," Glinda said.

"Call me Ellie," she said before Glinda could continue.

"Ellie, it is not a good idea. People will turn against you, and possibly me if I let you make that speech."

"I'm used to having people hate me, Miss Glinda. I never did anything to be hated, but I just am and it's something I have to live with. I'd rather have people hate me here sooner rather than later so there's no false hope. Besides, I think it is more important to speak for those who cannot. People will listen to me and you, not Elphaba."

"You remind me of her," Glinda pointed out.

"Of who?" I questioned.

"Elphie," Glinda replied. "Okay, I will let you speak. And just so you know, I do not and will never hate you."

"Thank you," Ellie said, loving the words she was hearing. She was brought into a hug and she let herself become less tense. Ellie was never really relaxed because she was indeed a nervous child, but she kept up a good mask, something Elphaba must have done, and still does.

"Let's get out to the balcony so you can say a few words," Glinda said and helped Ellie up from the couch. She followed the short blonde out onto the large balcony that overlooked Emerald City. Ellie took in a ragged breath from nervousness and stepped out, looking down at all of the people below them. Ellie wondered how Glinda could do something like this regularly. Ellie was beginning to think it wasn't such a good idea to talk in front of people. She had never been good at public speaking. She remembered how she fainted last year making an oral presentation in the fourth grade.

She stepped up to the front of the balcony in front of Glinda who had a hand on her shoulder, the other one clutching her wand that was practically taller than its owner. Ellie stared at the thousands of people below her. "Fellow Ozians," Glinda started and the crowd went silent to listen to her intently.

One of the many people shouted, "It's Saint Elena!" and an abrupt roar of cheering took place.

"Fellow Ozians," Glinda said once again, and everyone was quiet. Ellie looked down at all of the people, and saw Elphaba being held in a cage as if she was some kind of animal with the prison guards. "Elena would like to say a few words of her own, which are much more important than mine. She is going to make a speech. Please be respectful to her, for she is only just a girl." Ellie looked up at Glinda and saw that it was her turn to speak.

"Hello, my name is Elena May Gale, the daughter of Dorothy Gale," Ellie started out lamely. "I would like to start out with a simple exercise. I want everyone to fall back, and trust that the person behind you will catch you," Ellie said. The Ozians listened and did as they were told. "Now, I would like you to do the same thing, but without trusting the person behind you will catch you."

Just like she expected, nobody obliged.

"Now, how would you feel if every time you went to fall, nobody would catch you?" It was a rhetorical question, but there were murmurs. "Imagine a life where sine the day you were born, people immediately hated you, your own parents resented you. Your mother rarely showed you affection, your father said you were an abomination to the family name. Imagine a life where when you are in kindergarten and all you want to do is fit in and play with the other kids, but the other kids just want nothing to do with you and shun you, so you only have books, a world of fiction to turn to. Now, imagine being called wicked, disgusting, obscene, and other terrible names when you have done absolutely nothing wrong."

Ellie noticed that some of the women below were rubbing tears that spilled from their eyes. "Now, if you are told all of those things since birth, would you believe them? Would you expect this shunned person not to go a little bit crazy? Or would you expect them to learn to believe what is said about them, brainwashing them?

"What I am getting at here is that this is what happened to the Wicked Witch of the West, whom is not as wicked as she seems. She has a name, Elphaba, and she is not a terrible person." Ellie wondered how she was able to formulate these words, these sentences, this speech altogether. She had never spoken this clearly in front of people before. She closed her eyes momentarily and she could literally see Nessarose, her mother, standing there and nodding to her, silently telling her to go on. Ellie opened her eyes again and saw that the people were really listening to what she had to say, simply because of her status in Oz. People thought she was a saint and they didn't even know her!

"Elphaba is human, just like all of us. She is a person. And when a person is constantly put down, they begin to believe it. I know this from experience. Back where I come from, I was never accepted. People tend to make assumptions because of your background, or the color of your skin, maybe even the way you talk. I am surprised that Elphaba is as strong as she is, even if it is just a mask." The crowd began to discuss what she was saying, but once Glinda got their attention for her, they stopped.

"I would understand if you said you hated Elphaba because of a valid reason, such as she physically hurt you, and killed people in masses. But she didn't. It's sickening to me that her mere existence makes you simply hate her. What are you doing? Believing false facts, stupid rumors? You can't believe propaganda sent from miles upon miles away. Sometimes, you have to make your own judgments and beliefs. Start to rely on yourself more than anything. See what relying on false articles and news led you to? You are all hating someone you don't even know, and you have never met her!

"The only crime I see here is hating people you never met, and believing things you shouldn't believe. I would love for all of you to apologize to Elphaba and just let her live her life. If you see her in a coffee shop, sit down and say a friendly hello. If you see her on the streets, acknowledge her in a nice way. Do you all agree with me? Do you think that she should be set free and all charges should be dropped?" At first, everyone was silent. A person in the front row of the people glanced at Elphaba and smiled at her, although her back was facing towards them.

"I say let the woman go," he announced. "We were wrong!"

"Oh, so very wrong," another man said.

"I'm so sorry," a woman sounded as if she was crying. The crowd broke out in a cheer.

"Lady Glinda, may I make a request to let Elphaba go, and drop all false charges against her?" Ellie asked her, looking up at the woman behind her.

"I grant your request. Let Elphaba go, guards. There is no reason to keep her prisoner." The guards obliged and opened up her cage. Elphaba walked out hesitantly. Ellie was afraid to make eye contact with her, so she didn't. After all, the green woman hated her, didn't she?

Elphaba ran out of sight, which was expected. It was too much for her to handle. Ellie closed her eyes and found herself face to face with her mother, Nessarose. Only then, she realized that the armless woman was the one who gave her the words to say for her speech. It was Nessa who formulated the intelligent words, making Ellie's ten year old thoughts sound much more mature for her age. She silently thanked her biological mother for the help.

"There is more to this," Ellie said. "I have to say this, because it is wrong for me to keep to myself any longer. It is true, I was raised by Dorothy in another world. However, I am the daughter of the Wicked Witch of the East, who isn't so wicked, either." The crowd started to go crazy. Glinda had to step forward to stop the nonsense.

"Silence!" Glinda demanded. "If what she is saying is true, she is still the little girl we all listened to only moments before. She's only, what, ten? Fellow Ozians, it is not her fault who she is the child of. Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, was also misunderstood. If you learned anything at all today, you would realize that you should never be quick to judge people just based on limited facts. So what if Nessarose is her mother? It should not be affecting you. I think Ellie said very good words, and I learned from them, too, believe it or not. You should be ashamed of yourselves for judging a ten year old in such a harsh way," Glinda explained.

"Please forgive us, Saint Elena!"

"I am not a saint. I'm just a little girl who knows what it's like to be judged by others based on limited facts," Ellie explained (with Nessa's help).

"You taught the people of Oz a very valuable lesson, Ellie," Glinda smiled at her. "Since I am in charge of Oz, nobody is to go after this little girl, and no one is allowed to go after Elphaba. If I hear anyone harassing them, you will be punished severely," Glinda explained.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you," a man, a small one at that, probably a Munchkinlander, spoke up.

"You're welcome. And for now on, in honor of my true mother, I will be known as Elena May Thropp, but you can all just call me Ellie. And if you are still listening out there Elphaba, I don't hate you." The funny thing was, she had never heard Nessarose's last name in her life before. It was as if she just happened to know it. Or Nessa told her subconsciously. It didn't matter, because Ellie was just glad to be someone who was appreciated. Ellie followed Glinda back inside of the building, readying herself for some questions.


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

* * *

><p>Ellie was seated on the couch as Glinda paced back and forth, probably trying to comprehend the situation. Ellie had been given some food, which she ate slowly although she hadn't had a decent meal in quite some time. She ate the apple that had been cut up for her in slices, before even thinking about eating the sandwich. Upon closer inspection, she noticed there was meat on it. She had never had trouble eating meat before, but knowing this society had Animals in it, well, she was a bit skeptical. "Excuse me, Glinda, but this wasn't made from an Animal, was it?" Glinda chuckled a bit and shook her head.<p>

"No, Ellie. You remind me of my Elphie," she said. "She would never eat an Animal either. I wouldn't either, of course. But that is such an Elphaba question to ask. I'm rambling now, aren't I?" Ellie nodded and took a bite from her sandwich. "Speaking of her, you mentioned that you're Nessarose's daughter? How is that possible?"

"I should start from the beginning," Ellie stated and put the sandwich down. "When I was about five, I had these weird dreams, and I don't really remember them. All I remember was Nessarose was in them, but I didn't know her name, or who she was even. Then, the dreams stopped. But when I came here, they started again. I'm always in this meadow and there's a lake in the distance. Nessarose, my mother, she would tell me things. She really helped me get through some things. But what's odd about it, is it doesn't seem like a dream. She says it could be an alternate reality of some sort. It was there when she told me that she was my mother.

She wasn't pregnant when the house landed on her. But before it did, she transferred part of her into Dorothy I guess, because of the ruby slippers. I was dormant in her until, well, you know, she did it with a man," Ellie explained.

"That is quite the story," Glinda commented. "It's hard for me to believe, however, you do look a bit like Nessa."

"I do?" Ellie asked.

"Yes," Glinda nodded. "You have her hair, her eyes, and the shape of your face. I think you have her bone structure, too."

"She's really pretty," Ellie said.

"And so are you," Glinda replied.

"Really? I always thought I was too skinny to be pretty," Ellie said and swung her legs back and forth childishly.

"You are thin, but you are still beautiful," Glinda said and finally sat down next to her. "Everybody's different. Some people are tall like Elphie, some are considerably short, such as myself, some people are fatter than others, and some are skinnier. Everybody is beautiful in their own, special way. What make people ugly are their terrible personalities."

"Like the kids in school who threw rocks at me?" Ellie questioned.

"Exactly," Glinda said and started to brush Ellie's hair which was somewhat knotted.

"But those girls were really pretty."

"That's what they want you to think. Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving," Glinda said. "Let's get going. We should catch Elphie before she gets on that train or something and leaves us." Glinda grabbed her wand that she had discarded on the ground before and grabbed Ellie's hand. For some unknown reason, Ellie found herself passing out, and didn't know whether or not she hit the floor.

"_Sorry, I had to make you pass out," Nessarose apologized and approached Ellie in that meadow again. She stumbled as she walked towards her, and Ellie had to run over to her to catch her before she fell._

"_But why? Me and Glinda were going to go get Elphaba before she ran away again," Ellie explained. "This isn't the best time for me to be sleeping."_

"_I know, but Elphaba can't get too far considering she spent every last penny on that train ride you two took, plus the fact she left her broom behind. Don't worry about her right now. There is something you should know."_

"_What is it?" Ellie asked her._

"_Why do you think Glinda believed you so easily when you told her you are my daughter?" Nessarose asked._

"_I don't really know," Ellie shrugged. "I just thought she knew I was telling the truth."_

"_Before you two go off and get Elphaba, ask Glinda about me. Ask if I am truly dead. Do not take no for an answer." Just as fast as Nessarose had appeared, she faded, and all of the surroundings did, too. Ellie knew she was waking up._

Ellie opened her eyes quickly, and her breath was quick. She looked up and saw that Glinda had caught her so she didn't fall to the ground and hit her head. She mustn't have been sleeping for too long because Glinda had not time to move the girl to the couch. Ellie remembered her mother's words and perhaps maybe Glinda knew something? "Are you all right?" Glinda asked her.

"I'm okay. But I have a question. Is Nessarose really dead?" Ellie asked.

"Of course she is," Glinda said as her eyes went wide. "A house fell on her! Not many people survive quite the impact of something like that falling on you."

"You're a terrible liar," Ellie pointed out. "Please, I would like to meet my mother."

"I don't know. She hasn't been properly socialized in quite some time. She hasn't spoken a word since I brought her here. But she did mention she had a daughter recently," Glinda explained.

"I watched my mama, er, Dorothy die. I think I can handle it," Ellie assured her. "I want to see her before we find Elphaba. Who knows? Maybe she will want to come with us."

"Very well," Glinda sighed, but smiled at the determined girl. "Follow me," she said and took Ellie's hand. However, before they left the room, Ellie grabbed an apple to munch on. Glinda giggled and mentioned that she reminded her of her Elphie. Glinda led her down the stairs, and they took a right going down a long corridor. Apparently, this was the part of the palace Glinda lived in and nobody was allowed past that area without her permission.

Glinda released Ellie's hand and fumbled with her keys, and unlocked the door. Glinda led her in and took the apple core and discarded it. Ellie admired the expensive furniture and the high ceilings. The carpets felt plush under her shoes, and she desperately wanted to take them off to run around on the carpet. She had never seen such a beautiful place before. Maybe she could live here. She wondered what her own room could look like, and maybe Glinda would help her decorate it. She'd have a big, comfortable bed with blankets that kept her warm in the winter. She'd have beautiful dresses and jackets, shoes, and stockings. She wouldn't have to worry where her next meal would come from; she'd come into the kitchen and sit down with a warm meal sitting in front of her. "This way."

Glinda's voice broke Ellie out of her reverie, and she remembered why she was there, and followed Glinda down the hall. She took out another key at the end of the hall and unlocked the door. She didn't open it yet and turned towards her. "Ellie, are you sure you want to see her?"

"From what she told me in that dream or whatever it is, she wants to see me," Ellie replied.

"I hope you're right. Maybe you'll be able to break her trance," Glinda said, then opened the door. Ellie followed her in the dark room and stood before the bed. Glinda opened up the curtains so that light would come in and bathe the room in sunlight. Glinda led Ellie to the side of the bed where the lone figure of Nessarose slept. What was odd was she noticed Nessa had arms.

"I thought she didn't have arms," Ellie whispered to Glinda. Nessa was very pretty as she slept; her light brown hair was smooth, and her facial features were gorgeous.

"She didn't, but I found a spell to give her arms. She doesn't use them well still, but she is learning. However, since the house crushed her, it messed up her nerves in her spinal cord, so she is paralyzed from the waist down," Glinda explained. "I considered trying to get her to walk, however, there was no way I was going to play around with her central nervous system. Magic is useful, but in some cases, it just cannot be used."

"At least she has arms now," Ellie said. "She's really pretty."

"You are her daughter," Glinda smiled. She sat on the bed and took one of Nessarose's arms and shook it gently, saying her name, "Nessa." She shook her gently again. "There's someone here to see you. It's your daughter, Elena." Nessarose's eyes opened, and they were the familiar ones Ellie had seen in her dreams. Or whatever they were. Regardless, this was her real mother, Nessarose, who showed her love, even if it wasn't in this reality, the one that really counted.

"Mommy?" Ellie said. She didn't know why she said it, considering she hadn't even thought to say it, it just happened to come out of her mouth. But she did like how it sounded, how it felt when she said it. It felt right. With Dorothy, _mama_ had always seemed so forced.

"Oh, is it really little Elena? I am not dreaming?" Nessarose said weakly. She went to move her arms, but it was obvious she wasn't used to them, and she sloppily raised it, then dropping it, missing Ellie's cheek or whatever she was going for, entirely.

"It's really me, mommy," Ellie said nervously. "I'm here." Nessarose smiled at her and went to touch her again, but she still had some troubles. Glinda picked up Nessa's hand and guided it to Ellie's, which she grasped.

"My baby," Nessarose cried happily. She was able to push up to a sitting position and she tried to bring Ellie into a hug, but it seemed to be impossible. However, Ellie sat on the bed next to her and guided her arms to wrap around her small frame. Ellie then returned the hug. She cried, and so did Nessa, and she assumed Glinda teared up too, just because she seemed like that kind of person. "I love you, Elena."

"I love you, too, mommy," Ellie said through her tears of joy. They broke the hug after a while, and Nessarose seemed to have better control of her arms. She seemed to be still getting used to them. Ellie couldn't help but feel sad because her mother was born without any arms, but functional legs. However, when she had arms, her legs were paralyzed due to a house falling on top of her. Regardless, Ellie was overjoyed with the fact that her mother was strong enough to survive a house crashing on her. She was also happy that she was related to such strong people.

"I am just so happy that you're my little girl," Nessarose smiled at her. She was still beautiful even though her cheeks were stained from her tears. "I'm so so happy that you got the messages from me and I was able to connect to you."

"This is probably really random, but if you were to name me, what would my name be?" Ellie asked her.

"Believe it or not, I chose your name, Elena. Dorothy had nothing to do with it. It took a lot of energy, but I convinced her in a dream to name you Elena."

"How come?" Ellie asked. She had always wanted to know the origins of her name. Dorothy had provided a simple answer of _I thought it was nice at the time, so that's that._

"My mother's name was Melena. I just took off the 'm' and the name became Elena. That's why your middle name is May. It starts with an 'm', just like Melena, and I always liked the spring," Nessarose explained.

"That's beautiful," Glinda finally spoke up and she dabbed her tears with tissues. "Nessa, I am so glad that you're talking like a normal person again. I thought your brain was damaged or something along those lines."

"The only reason why I was like that was because I was watching over Elena for so many years, and I was contacting her. That takes up a lot of energy," Nessa explained to Glinda. "I never got to properly thank you for taking care of me and giving me arms. I am going to be able to do so much now."

"But your legs…" Glinda trailed.

"Oh, who cares? I can brush my own hair now, feed myself, get around with minimal help. I feel like a new person!"

"Glad you're feeling okay," Glinda giggled. Ellie noted how she never chuckled. Her laugh could only be described as a giggle. Upon closer inspection, Glinda seemed to be the delicate type, which was okay with her. Nessarose, her mother, was the dependent type which was understandable. Dorothy, well, she was considered insane. But Elphaba was definitely someone to admire. She was strong and determined. And above all, she was stable, which was why Ellie liked, no, loved her so much.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to go look for Elphaba," Ellie spoke up.

"Okay, we will travel by bubble!" Glinda exclaimed.

"I'm coming, too," Nessarose decided.

"Are you sure?" Glinda asked her.

"Of course I'm sure! This is my sister we're talking about here."

"Oh, I was waiting so long for this day! I will go fetch the wheelchair!" Glinda said and ran quickly on her heels to go get said wheelchair.

"She's very…"

"Perky?" Nessarose finished.

"Yes," Ellie nodded. "Perky."


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

* * *

><p>To be honest, Ellie had thought that traveling by bubble would be quite embarrassing. Who would willingly go in a big pink sphere and let everyone know that you did? And who would even think of it? However, now that she was in a giant pink bubble, she had to admit, it was kind of cool. She had seen Emerald City from the sky with all of its tall sky scrapers and buildings. She could make out the Yellow Brick Road and could see people traveling on it. Ellie looked over to her mother who had gasped and gripped her hands on her wheelchair, shutting her brown eyes tightly. "What's wrong?" Ellie asked her and neglected the wonderful sights below her.<p>

"I've never traveled by bubble before. And I never liked heights," Nessarose admitted.

"Relax," Glinda said, holding her large wand.

"My life is in your hands, er, bubble, several hundred feet above ground. How am I supposed to relax?" Nessa exclaimed.

"Because you've got to live in the moment," Ellie laughed and took a seat on her mother's lap. She didn't really feel like standing anymore, and sitting in a bubble was kind of awesome.

"Exactly," Glinda giggled and continued to control the bubble and observe her surroundings. She was keeping an eye out for Elphaba. Ellie couldn't help but wonder if Glinda and Elphaba's relationship was something more than friendship. Perhaps, it was something along the lines of love? But what did Ellie know? She was only ten and didn't know anything about that kind of stuff. She remembered how same sex relationships were frowned upon anyway, although she had never understood why. Dorothy had told her it was because the church and Bible said so, but Ellie didn't think that was a valid reason. Besides, Ellie hated the Bible. The words in it were too confusing for her.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Nessarose said and held her head with her hands. Ellie got off of her lap when she saw she looked as if she was literally going to throw up any second.

"Oh no," Glinda said nervously. "You are not going to throw up in my bubble!"

"I think she might!" Ellie exclaimed.

"We're landing," Glinda decided and the bubble began to lower into the forest. Eventually, it landed and Glinda was able to drag Nessa over to some bushes and held her hair back as she was sick. Ellie decided that this would be a good time to use the bathroom. She let Glinda know, who looked as if she was going to be sick herself watching the crippled woman vomit, and Ellie went deeper into the forest for some privacy.

After relieving her bladder, Ellie went to go back to Glinda and Nessarose. However, she heard a plop of some kind, as if a rock or something was thrown into the water. Curiosity getting the best of her, Ellie went to go check it out. She followed the sound, and she was confident someone was throwing rocks in a lake or pond. She pushed some vines and branches, and the occasional bush aside as she followed the sound.

Ellie had to suppress a gasp when she saw who was sitting there and throwing rocks in what seemed to be a pond. The pointed black hat and green skin gave her away pretty quickly. It was indeed Elphaba, sitting on the dirty ground a few feet away from the pond. Her head turned quickly when she heard Ellie's foot step on a branch. She turned back around, ignoring the girl.

Ellie decided to go sit next to her. What harm could it do? So, she sat down on the dirt next to Elphaba, but didn't look at her and didn't acknowledge her right away. The two sat there, staring ahead at the old pond. "What are you doing here?" Elphaba finally spoke up and breaking the silence.

"Sitting here," Ellie said simply, tracing patterns in the dirt casually.

"You can't just leave me alone, can you?" Elphaba asked her. Ellie wondered how much torture this poor woman must have gone through in order to feel this way.

"No, I can't. I care too much. I still love you, Elphaba. Biologically speaking, you are my aunt," Ellie explained. She heard Elphaba sigh after a moment.

"You can't get attached to people, Ellie. Not like this. And especially not me."

"I never attach myself to people. I've mostly kept to myself. But I let myself get attached to you because, well, I don't really know. Maybe it's because you're the first person to show that you cared about me."

"What about Dorothy?" Elphaba questioned.

"She never really loved me," Ellie gave her a sad smile. "Sure, I cried when she died because she was the only person who didn't make fun of me back in South Carolina. But now, I can talk about her without crying. I was never attached to her." When Elphaba didn't say anything, Ellie decided that she'd speak. "Did you really mean that?"

"Mean what?" Elphaba asked her. It was almost a whisper.

"That you hate me?" Ellie finally looked up at Elphaba and their eyes locked. Elphaba didn't say a word. "I understand," Ellie said. "You want to be left alone." She stood up. "I won't look for you anymore. I'll go back to Emerald City." Ellie turned around and began walking back towards the forest, but she felt a hand on her shoulder before she entered it. She was forced to turn around, and pulled into a comforting hug.

"I don't hate you," Elphaba said, her bony arms holding Ellie tight. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." Ellie returned the hug and cried tears of joy. Finally, they parted and Elphaba put her hands on Ellie's shoulders. "You really do look just like Nessa. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"Glinda said I look like her, too," Ellie smiled. "Come back to Emerald City. I'm sure Glinda would let you stay with her. She's nice."

"Well I…" Elphaba was cut off by the shrill yelling of no other than Glinda herself, screaming Ellie's name frantically. "You came here with Glinda?"

"Yeah. We should probably go tell her we're okay," Ellie said and grabbed Elphaba's hand with her own. "And I have a surprise for you."

"We? And a surprise?" Elphaba questioned as she was dragged through the forest.

"Mmhmm," Ellie nodded. "You're going to be so happy!"

"I don't like surprises," Elphaba said, letting herself be dragged through the forest.

"I don't like them either, but I know you'll like this one," Ellie grinned. She saw the blonde in sight, so she shouted her name to get her attention.

"Ellie, thank Oz, I thought I lost…you…" Glinda said, but her voice trailed when she saw Elphaba standing in front of her. Ellie noticed Nessarose was sitting in the background in her chair, and Elphaba had failed to notice her. Right now, she seemed to only notice the blonde who stood there dumbfounded in her ridiculously sparkly, but beautiful, dress. The two were silent, and Ellie let go of Elphaba's hand and silently walked over to her mother and sat on her lap.

Ellie watched Glinda touch Elphaba's cheek, probably because she couldn't believe that the green woman was standing right in front of her. Once she was satisfied, Ellie jumped into Elphaba's arms and murmured, "My Elphie." Elphaba had no choice but to hold her up, seeing that Glinda decided to hang on her and keep her feet off of the ground.

"Oh, my sweet, how I have missed you," Elphaba admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me you were still alive? You know how much it hurt to keep going, thinking that you were dead?" Glinda questioned her, crying now.

"I wanted everything to die down before I told you. I didn't need witch hunters coming after me."

"I wouldn't have told anybody, you know," Glinda said. "Please never, ever leave me again. I don't think my heart can bare it."

"I know, my sweet, I know," Elphaba said, still holding the blonde.

"Do they love each other?" Ellie whispered to her mother. Elphaba then put Glinda down and they shared a passionate kiss.

"I believe they do," Nessarose answered.

"I never saw two girls kiss like that before," Ellie said. After all, she had grown up in a religious and conservative neighborhood where people hated others who were different in any possible way.

"I used to think it was gross when two women or two men kissed each other like that. But I know better now." Elphaba must have heard Nessa's voice because she pulled away from Glinda. She looked over the short woman's head and her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe she was looking at her sister. Ellie knew Elphaba thought her sister was supposed to have died. Ellie got off of her mother's lap and pushed the wheelchair over to Elphaba.

She smiled at her and said, "Surprise. You like this surprise, right?"

"Of course I do," Elphaba said, standing there dumbfounded. "But how…"

"Glinda took care of me," Nessarose answered.

"You have arms…" the green woman trailed.

"I know. Glinda gave them to me," Nessa smiled. "Unfortunately, I'm paralyzed from the waist down."

"I can't believe you're alive," Elphaba said and brought her sister into a hug. Nessarose awkwardly hugged her back because she was still getting used to her extra limbs that she had never had before. Ellie helped guide her mother's arms, though, to make it easier and less sloppy. "Nessa," Elphaba said. Ellie could tell she was going to cry, but she didn't. Elphaba was good at holding back tears. Glinda stood behind Ellie and put her hands on her shoulders.

Nessarose and Elphaba parted from their hug and exchanged a few words Ellie couldn't make out. Finally, they talked a bit louder, above a whisper, so that she could hear them again. "Thank you for taking care of Elena," Nessa said. "I was afraid she'd try to come on her own."

"I know I was probably harsh with her," Elphaba started.

"I don't think it matters anymore. And I'm pretty sure Elena's forgiven you, correct?" Ellie nodded at her mother's words.

"So, what happens now?" Elphaba asked.

"You come back to Emerald City and live with us, silly," Glinda laughed.

"I don't think I can do that," Elphaba whispered.

"What?" Glinda sounded heartbroken, so Ellie turned around and gave her a hug, which Glinda returned.

"Elphaba, you can't leave Glinda again, and you're not leaving me again, and you certainly aren't leaving Elena. You have to stop pushing people away. I know your life hasn't been the best, but people do care about you. We're your family. And if you think you're going to abandon the people that love you, well, you're just disgusting," Nessarose spat, but she was also crying. "You cannot keep running away, Fabala." There was a moment of silence, and the only thing Ellie could hear was the sound of Glinda's sobs. "We're your family, Elphaba," Nessarose added. "You're not alone. We aren't going to leave you."

"We love and care about you, Elphie," Glinda said all choked up.

"I have to go," Elphaba said and began to walk away. Ellie removed herself from Glinda's hug and ran to catch up with Elphaba. She wasn't going to let her go this easily. She knew it was up to her to get her to come back. Glinda didn't seem like the running type, nor could she run without tripping over that gown, or running into something. And her mother, well, she couldn't really run being paralyzed and all. So, Ellie took it upon herself to go after Elphaba. "Why are you so intent on following me, my pretty?" Elphaba said defeated and fell to the forest floor. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I can't lose anyone else," Ellie cried. "Why do you have to make it so hard? I would kill for people to want me enough to chase after me. Sure, your childhood couldn't have been easy, and bad things happened to you, but when something good comes along, you're running away from it, and it's just frustrating. I never really wanted, or cared to meet you to be honest. But once we traveled together, I guess I thought you cared about me, and then I got attached."

"You shouldn't have gotten attached to me."

"How could I not?" Ellie said.

"Why couldn't you just be like everybody else and just run away from me?" Elphaba cried, burning her face with her own tears. She fell to the ground, completely broken.

"Because I guess I don't just judge you based on rumors and the color of your skin," Ellie whispered and knelt down next to her. Elphaba just stared at the ground, trying hard not to cry.

"Why not?"

"Where I come from, people judged me on those things."

"Whether I like it or not, you remind me of myself."

"I do?" Ellie questioned.

"I was like you when I was a kid. My pretty, don't turn out like me, promise me you won't. You're on that road."

"But I want to be like you," Ellie said. Before Elphaba could ask why, Ellie started speaking again. "Because you're strong, you don't depend on people, and you're nice, and I think you're really pretty."

"Ellie," Elphaba started.

"Come with me, mommy, and Glinda. You'll be happy there, right?"

"I don't think," Elphaba tried to speak yet again, but to no avail.

"Mommy is alive, you seem to be very fond of Glinda, and, well, I think deep down you like me."

"It's not that I don't like you, my pretty."

"Then, what is it?" Ellie asked her. When she got no response, Ellie took Elphaba's hand and sat on her lap. She knew that she was the only child who could get away with this, and she liked that feeling. After all, this was her aunt. The two stared into each other's eyes until Elphaba smiled, a warm smile, and a real one.

"We should probably go back and make sure Glinda and Nessa are okay. I don't think either of them are well equipped for the forest," Elphaba laughed and the two stood up. As they walked back towards the other two women, Ellie grabbed her aunt's hand and made her stop walking.

"Do you love Glinda?" Ellie asked seriously. "As in, you're in love with her, in a romantic way?"

"I do," Elphaba said after a brief hesitation. After all, same sex relationships weren't the best things to be admitting due to the lack of people that supported them in Oz. Ellie nodded and continued walking.

They found Nessarose trying to console a hysterical Glinda in the middle of the forest. Nessa's eyes were red and her cheeks blotchy from crying, but Glinda was sobbing loudly at the possible loss of her love. She had immediately stopped crying, though, when Elphaba came over to her and announced that she'd be staying with them. Ellie had jumped onto her mother's lap and was brought into a hug. Ellie then turned around and faced Elphaba and Glinda and witnessed another kiss, but this one was much more passionate and lasted much longer. "Um, could you guys not do that?" Ellie spoke up.

"Does our relationship make you uncomfortable?" Glinda asked and the couple walked over to Nessa and Ellie.

"Elena, it's okay for two women to love each other," Nessarose said.

"You don't mind, Nessa?" Elphaba asked her and she seemed to be shocked.

"Of course I don't."

"But what about the Unnamed God?" Elphaba asked.

"Screw the Unnamed God," Nessarose said, and the other two women gasped. "I was blinded by the whole religion thing by father. It took a house to hit me over the head and a near death experience for me to realize that I was wrong before. I accept you two as long as nobody gets hurt. And Elena, I am shocked about your comment." Her mother was being stern with her, and she had just met her face to face only hours ago. Ellie sighed; having a real mother was going to be a piece of work, but worth it.

"I don't care if you are a couple. I'm fine with that. It's just the kissing, it's gross."

"What are you getting at?" Elphaba asked slowly, trying to understand the young girl. Ellie just shrugged.

"I may act older than I am, but I'm only ten. Kissing like that in general is just gross," Ellie explained and scrunched her face cutely. Ellie didn't understand why, but the three women broke out in laughter.

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><p>Well, I didn't realize that this story was going to be such a hit. I got so many views on this story, it's crazy! Over 150 some days! Thanks to everyone who's reading this (mostly to my reviewers)! The next chapter will be the epilogue, meaning that it will be the last. If anyone even reads these author notes, I would like to mention that if you guys want, I can continue writing stories about Ellie. I already have one planned out in my head after watching this documentary on the famous ship called Titanic on the Discovery Channel a few weeks ago. If anyone at all is interested in this character I created and wants to read more about her, then tell me in a review or PM and I'll start writing the story after the epilogue!<p> 


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

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><p>Ellie loved her new life, and her new home in the Emerald City Palace. She had her own room with a large bed with sheets and blankets on them. Glinda had let her pick out the colors, and she chose purple. She had a matching set of purple pillows that she placed on the bed neatly every morning after making it. Ellie had her own dresser and a separate vanity with a large mirror on it that Glinda had picked out for her. The furniture in her room was white and the dresser had silver handles on it.<p>

Ellie had a white carpet in her room that felt good on the soles of her feet. The walls were painted a light purple that matched perfectly with everything in her room; Glinda had made sure of that.

Her mother and Glinda had taken her out shopping for clothes, shoes, and accessories so that she didn't have to wear the same clothes daily. She had enjoyed shopping, probably because she never had the opportunity to do so before.

Every day, Ellie would accompany Glinda to numerous shops around the Emerald City. They didn't buy things all the time, but window shopping was just as enjoyable. And Nessarose didn't want her daughter to become a spoiled brat who was used to getting everything that she wanted. Her mother would come with them sometimes to make sure Glinda wasn't spoiling her rotten.

Ellie loved the people she was living with. She had Nessarose, her mother, to properly guide her through life. She depended on Nessarose for love, encouragement, and a sense of security, things she had never experienced before living with Dorothy. She was able to crawl into her bed in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, or after waking up from a terrible nightmare. She loved the feeling of her mother wrapping her arms around her and rocking her, telling her everything was okay. Ellie liked that she was able to cry openly and she wasn't just forced to stay in her room until she calmed down.

Although Nessarose was the mother Ellie had always wanted, she couldn't do everything for her due to her paralysis (Ellie thought that being paralyzed from the waist down was much better than having no arms). So, this was when Glinda would step in and take care of her. One time during the night, Ellie was screaming in her sleep, and Glinda had rushed in and woke her up right away. She stayed with her that night. Nessarose couldn't do this because she could barely get out of bed and get into her wheelchair fast enough.

Glinda was somewhat overly girly, and she enjoyed taking Ellie out shopping and doing those girlish activities with her. They would do each other's hair, makeup, and paint each other's nails. Glinda was very attached to Ellie for reasons she couldn't figure out.

Elphaba's role was, well, Ellie didn't really know. She never got out of bed to check on Ellie like Glinda, nor did she allow her to crawl into bed with her when she had a nightmare. Instead, Elphaba was there for a feeling of protection, someone she could rely on to come into her room and catch the mouse or bat that was running or flying around. Unlike Nessa or Glinda, Elphaba would talk to Ellie about topics that were above and beyond her age, things like history and politics, that Ellie would find very interesting, although she didn't understand some of it. Elphaba was the one who would knock on her door and randomly ask if she wanted to go out for ice cream.

The only thing that Ellie was lacking was a father figure, but that was okay with her because she never really had one anyway. "Mommy?" Ellie said, bringing herself back to reality. Nessarose was sitting on Ellie's bed and combing her light brown hair; some mother/daughter bonding time. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Elena, just ask the question," Nessa chuckled quietly to herself. She smoothed back Ellie's hair with the comb and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

"How come Glinda always wants to take me shopping with her? And why does she act like a mother to me? Because Elphaba doesn't act that way towards me."

"I'm going to have to assume that it is because Glinda always wanted a daughter to do those things with," Nessarose explained.

"And she's always buying me stuff," Ellie admitted. She wasn't supposed to tell her mother, but she was anyway. She wanted some answers.

"I think she's filling the void of not having a daughter," Nessa guessed. "But that's just my assumption."

"Mommy," Ellie giggled. "Don't assume because you make an ass out of you and me!"

"Who told you that?"

"Elphaba," Ellie laughed. "She also taught me a joke. Want to hear it?" Ellie turned around to face her mother.

"Sure, what is it?"

"What does the bartender say when oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, sodium, and phosphorus walk into a bar?" Ellie asked. "OH SNaP!" she said, delivering the punch line.

"I'm going to be honest when I say I don't get it," Nessarose said.

"I didn't at first, either, but oxygen's symbol is O, hydrogen's symbol is H, sulfur S, sodium Na, and phosphorus' is P. So, when you put them together in order it spells OH SNaP!" Ellie explained.

"Is she trying to teach you chemistry again?"

"Mmhmm! I memorized the whole periodic table!" Ellie stated proudly. "She told me another joke if you want to hear it."

"Sure," Nessa shrugged.

"I didn't get this one at first, but Elphaba explained it to me. It's really funny. So, a boy is taking a shower with his daddy. He looks up and asks his daddy what that is. His daddy says it's his snake. Then, the little boy is taking a shower with his mommy and asks what those are. She says that those are her headlights. He also asks what that is, and she says it's her garden." The look on Nessa's face clearly showed she wasn't enjoying this joke, which made Ellie control her laughter. "So, one night, the little boy walks into the parent's room and yells 'mommy! Mommy! Turn on your headlights! The snake's in your garden!' " Ellie burst out laughing. Her mother's face was priceless.

"Elena, sweetie, could you please hold mommy's chair while I get in it," Nessarose said almost too sweetly.

"Is Elphaba in trouble again?" Ellie giggled and helped her mother get into her wheelchair.

"Oh yes she is. And you are not to repeat that joke of yours to anyone, got that?"

"Got it," Ellie said and released the handlebars on her mother's chair.

"Good," Nessa said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must have a chat with your aunt." Nessarose took a deep breath and yelled, "Elphaba!" at the top of her lungs as she wheeled herself out of the room at top speed. Ellie went over to her vanity and sat in front of the mirror. She looked at the golden locket that still had Dorothy's picture in it. She had been wondering if she should store it away with the ruby slippers.

Would Dorothy come to haunt her in her dreams if she got rid of it, or even took it off from around her neck? This necklace, it was the only connection she had left. And the picture of Dorothy was the only one she even had. She feared that if she forgot about it, she'd forget about her and where she had come from. She opened up the golden heart shaped locket and admired the picture inside. She never looked at it with Nessarose around because she was afraid it would hurt her feelings. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice Glinda enter her room. "It's okay to miss her. Dorothy, I mean. She was the person who raised you up until now."

"But I don't know why I miss her," Ellie said and turned around towards Glinda. "She wasn't even that nice to me. She was nothing like mommy." Ellie paused, and then continued to speak. "Most of the time, I don't even think about her. But then when I do, I just miss her. But I'm not sad that she's gone, either."

"I think your relationship with her was complicated, or rather is complicated," Glinda spoke up. "My relationship with my mother was quite complicated, too. She was never really there; she was always busy."

"Glinda, if you could have a baby, would you?" Ellie asked. The question had been quite random and surprised the blue eyed beauty.

"Possibly," Glinda said. "I haven't really had the time to think about it, actually. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Ellie shrugged.

"So, what did my Elphie do this time?" Glinda asked, quickly changing the subject. Ellie knew that she must have thought about being a mother, but couldn't.

"Oh, she told me this joke and mommy didn't like it," Ellie said. "The usual." Glinda nodded. Elphaba was always telling Ellie something inappropriate whether it was a joke or telling her something that she shouldn't know for someone of her age. Elphaba's argument was always _She acts old enough to know_ and left it at that.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Ellie said and followed Glinda over to her bed so that she could sit down, too.

"I know a while back you said that my relationship with Elphaba didn't bother you. But, well, does it?" Glinda asked, her voice quieter and softer than usual.

"I don't really mind," Ellie shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course not. I don't mind."

"And having three female figures doesn't bother you?"

"I will admit, it did at first because I always wanted a daddy," Ellie explained, although she didn't know why she was telling Glinda all of this. She had told Nessarose of course, but she never told Glinda or Elphaba this because she thought it might hurt their feelings. But now, she figured that at least Glinda should know. Elphaba probably already figured it out. "But now that I thought about it, I don't need a father because I have you guys. I really did think about it, you know. I decided that my mommy is my mommy of course. You're like another mother because you run out of bed and make sure I'm okay when I scream. And you tuck me in at night and tell me stories. Elphaba, well, she's like another mother I guess, but she's more…I don't really know how to describe it, really."

"You think of me as a mother?" Glinda asked with a large smile across her face. Her face had lit up at that remark.

"Mmhmm," Ellie said and nodded. She knew Glinda probably felt insecure considering she was the only one out of the four people who lived there who wasn't really blood related to them. Ellie knew the feeling of being an outcast and she really didn't want other people to see what it felt like. So, she got off of her bed and skipped over to her jewelry box. She rummaged through the necklaces that she had accumulated over the past couple of weeks, and came across another golden locket. This one had been Dorothy's back in South Carolina. She opened it and saw it still had a picture of her in it. She remembered what had happened when she gave it to her.

"_Ellie, come here," a sick and weak Dorothy said and reached for her daughter._

"_Yes, mama?" Ellie asked and took Dorothy's hand._

"_I want you to have the matching locket," Dorothy took the necklace off of her neck and gave it to Ellie. "Now, when you go to the wonderful land of Oz, you can give that to Glinda because she's going to be the one to take care of you." And then, Dorothy went on a tangent about Oz yet again that Ellie had been forced to listen to. She had pocketed the locket in her dress, and two days later, Dorothy died._

Ellie took the locket and opened it, seeing the picture of herself, one of the rarer ones from back then when she smiled, and on the other side was her baby picture. She took her own locket off and found the small picture of her and Glinda that the latter had suggested when they were out on one of those shopping sprees. She cut out herself from the picture and placed the picture of Glinda in her own locket on the other side. She walked back over to the bed and sat down on it.

"Mama and I had these matching lockets when I lived with her, but when she died, she gave hers to me. I want you to have it, and so did mama," Ellie explained and handed her the locket.

"Oh, Ellie," Glinda said and had tears falling from her eyes. "I couldn't."

"Yeah you can," Ellie said and put the locket around Glinda's neck for her. "Inside it there are two pictures of me; one of them is a baby picture of me." Glinda opened it and looked at the pictures of the girl in front of her. "And in mine I just added a picture," Ellie said and opened up her own locket. "See? There's you!"

"Oh, Ellie," Glinda said again and pulled her into a hug, which Ellie returned. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ellie said, then put her own locket back on. She didn't have to get rid of it after all. "Sorry, but the sun is starting to set and Elphaba's probably waiting for me." If it was nice out, Ellie and Elphaba would go sit by the tree in the back yard and read their books while eating apples until it was dark outside. It was becoming a daily tradition.

"Okay," Glinda smiled and let Ellie go. She grabbed her book and headed out the door. She ran over to Elphaba who was already sitting outside and reading her book. She took a seat on the grass next to her and accepted the apple that Elphaba had grabbed for her off of the tree. Nessarose would complain that they didn't wash them before eating them.

"I hope I didn't get you in too much trouble," Ellie spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, my pretty. It's only Nessa. She's not much of a threat, although my ears say otherwise," she joked. "I thought you said you were going to get rid of that locket?"

"I decided not to," Ellie said.

"Why's that?"

"I have my reasons," Ellie said.

"Since when have you become so mysterious?"

"Since when have you talked instead of reading a book?" Ellie countered.

"Getting fresh now, are we?"

"You better watch out," Ellie warned.

"For what?"

"Me!" Ellie said and got up, and tackled Elphaba on the ground. She was on top of the thin woman and smiled in victory. It wasn't every day that she could surprise her aunt.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Elphaba said.

"About what?"

"About winning this war that you started," Elphaba said. Ellie got up and started running away from her, knowing that she was going to be tickled to death by the green witch. "Come back here, my pretty!" Elphaba yelled and chased after her.

"No!" Ellie yelled back and laughed. Of course, she wasn't nearly as fast as Elphaba and she was caught. Elphaba picked her up and held her upside down.

"I think I just won."

"You always win!" Ellie laughed and was placed back down on her feet. "I think you owe me."

"I don't owe you a thing. I won, so technically you owe me," Elphaba said and crossed her arms. Ellie mimicked her pose and smirked.

"No, I'm pretty sure you owe me," Ellie said.

"And why do I owe you anything?"

"Because I made your girlfriend happy today," Ellie stated.

"Oh, and what did you do to make her happy?"

"I gave her mama's old locket with the pictures of me in it," Ellie explained. "And I added her picture to my locket."

"Well then, perhaps I do owe you," Elphaba said. "That was a very nice thing to do, my pretty."

"I know," Ellie said. "And that's why you're gonna take me for a ride."

"A ride?" Elphaba questioned. "I think it is too late for us to go down to the stables and ride horses because the sun is setting."

"You know what I mean!"

"Oh? A train ride perhaps?"

"No!" Ellie laughed.

"My shoulders?"

"No!"

"My back?"

"No! And you know what I mean, Elphaba!" Ellie said.

"A ride," Elphaba said and pretended to think very hard. She tapped her foot for a moment before she spoke again. "Oh! You must mean a ride on my broom."

"Finally!" Ellie said.

"I don't think my sister will be very happy. After all, it is getting dark out and she doesn't like you riding my broom as it is."

"Elphaba," Ellie whined (a trait she had learned from Glinda). "Mommy can just yell at you later."

"I don't know my pretty," Elphaba said.

"Please?" Ellie begged, using the puppy dog eyes that Glinda had showed her. This never worked with her mother, but it always worked on Elphaba.

"Fine, you win," Elphaba said and summoned her broom. She mounted it and had Ellie go in front of her. Before she knew it, they were high up in the sky, flying up towards the stars that were starting to come out.

"Do it," Ellie said.

"Do what, my pretty?"

"That cool cackle thing that you do," Ellie said.

"You mean this?" Elphaba said, then preceded to cackle loudly. Ellie could see the palace that she lived in. She never thought she'd call such a place home. But then again, she never thought that she'd meet amazing people that took her in and gave her everything. She loved everything about her new life. In South Carolina, she had willingly given up her home. However, this time, she would not be giving up this new home, not ever.

In the distance, Ellie heard two women calling. The first one screamed, "Elphie and Ellie!" happily, while the other sounded quite mad.

"Elena and Elphaba!" In response, the two on the broom cackled away into the night.

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><p>And that's the end! I'm glad so many people seemed to like this story. I will be writing another chapter story about Ellie so look out for it! I highly doubt anyone wants to, but if there is the slim chance that you're an artist and you would like to draw a picture of Ellie to put online, PM me and we'll work things out from there :)<p> 


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